Winter's Road
by Dr-Lemona
Summary: A lone wolf attempts to retrieve what was taken from her, and in the process battles what lies within. "The world was beautiful, once, and so were they." AU.
1. Prologue: Patient, Revisited

Mai-Hime belongs to Sunrise.

Alternate Universe. The aftermath of the Carnival is a fun topic to explore but at the same time I feel that it has been done better than any attempt I could make.

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**Patient, revisited**

When the doctor received his initial charts after the surgery he simply raised an eyebrow at the name and frowned. He had seen her name several years ago. She had stayed in the hospital for an entire year, then. Poor thing had just lost her mother—and dog, he recalled her crying over. After the year and the occasional visits from what he assumed was her father, she left the hospital in such a ruptured state that he began to wonder when he would see her again. The years came and went along with those thoughts.

He opened the door and purposefully walked in with his charts. She was already sitting upright with her head covered in bandages and the rest of her body not doing any better. Already he heard the annoyed sigh drift from her lips. He smiled.

"I always wondered when you'd be back, Kuga-san."

One emerald eye glared at him before softening. It still carried such a ferocious quality despite its twin being under wraps. Her lips remained pursed and her gaze returned to the wall ahead of her while he dragged a chair over to sit beside her bed.

"Now, as much as I'd like to catch up, I suspect you'd rather hear of your injures."

The papers were flipped upwards and he scratched his chin absently.

"What a list! You seem to have a penchant for getting yourself in scrapes."

Now a grim smile drew the corners of her lips up. He looked at her for a second before returning to his papers. Shame, he thought. She was a beautiful child when she smiled.

"You took a rather nasty tumble off that motorcycle of yours. Thankfully you managed to listen to public safety announcements and gotten yourself some gear, so your extremities are only bruised with a few scrapes on the palms of your hands. Two ribs in your lower right ribcage have hair-line fractures from the collision… and that's the good news."

Now the girl looked over towards him.

"Good news?" she repeated in a gruff tone. "Then, doctor, do continue with the bad."

The doctor sighed.

"Kuga-san… you suffered a concussion and sustained heavy injury to the area around your left eye. While there was no damage to the eye itself, the trauma managed to sever your left optic nerve." He drew in a deep breath. "You are legally blind in your left eye and your depth perception has been compromised."

She was doing extremely well with the news, he noted. Only her fists were shaking on the bed sheets. He shook his head.

"With that loss… It would be unsafe to go back to riding your motorcycle, much less to return to racing it. I trust I don't have to explain this?"

When she shook her head he stood up and laid a hand on her shoulder.

Maybe the light was playing a trick on him, he mused. When he turned to go he chanced a glance behind him and saw a distinct profile of a wolf projected against the white walls of the room. The shadows dispersed when he blinked, revealing only the profile of a silent girl staring off into space. His brow tensed at the strange vision but realized with a jolt that something even stranger was going on.

She did not shake his hand off.

"And Shizuru?"

He blinked. "Shizuru?"

"Fujino Shizuru. She was in the same accident and should be here." She looked up at him. "Is she okay?"

He knew the name, of course. Who didn't know of the august family of Fujino and their branches? Her gaze was earnest as if trying to dredge up some positive outcome through this entire debacle. He knew his answer would not provide it.

"From what I heard, Fujino-san is in intensive care at the moment. The operation was a success."

He could feel the relief radiate and he sighed once more.

"However, she has yet to wake up from it and may lapse into a coma…"

The shoulder beneath his hand stiffened.

"… I'm sorry, Kuga-san."

* * *

Author's note:

I might need to get a hang of this system. Please let me know what you think!


	2. Wisterias by the Roadside

Hello again, and thanks for the reviews. I hope I can perform up to expectations! And yes, it does look longer than the prologue, but this should be the normal size for the rest of the chapters, I think. Haha, let's hope.

Mai-hime and its various offshoots belong to Sunrise.

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**Chapter 1: Wisterias by the Roadside**

"_Shizuru."_

_The five year old looked up from the colorful pages of the book she had taken out of her father's study. The voice in question belonged to the owner of the book, who in turn opened his arms wide and scooped the girl up into the air. A giddy laugh tumbled out of her lips and the stern expression on his face melted to one of amusement._

"_Shizuru, were you sneaking books out of my study again?" he asked with a laugh._

"_Otou-han, you said I could take one book," Shizuru argued in a matter-of-fact tone._

_He tweaked her nose with a gentle finger._

"_I did, didn't I? Shizuru, you are growing too observant for me!" His lips puckered into a thoughtful pout. _

"_What'll happen if your Otou-han grows senile and forgets everything?"_

_She erupted into childish glee. _

"_But Otou-han, you're going to live forever!"_

"_Hm…" He shifted his grip and brought his only daughter up to his shoulders. "I suppose you're right. I wouldn't mind living forever… but only if you do the same!"_

_Her legs swung freely as she grasped onto the wavy locks of brown hair on his head. She took special care not to tug on his hair and rested her cheek on the very top of his head._

"_It's a promise, then," she intoned in a serious voice._

_He smiled to himself as he pat his daughter's feet._

"_Ah… It's a promise." _

Fifteen years later Fujino Shigeru looked relatively the same as he did when Shizuru was five. He dressed in tailored suits with unchanged measurements and his brown hair still retained its color. Maple-colored eyes were still as alert as ever even with crow's feet creeping up on them. He was not one to wear down quickly—his occupation had a high turnover rate for those who did. His position as head of an economical conglomerate did not particularly suit him. He was a brawler, someone who would much rather pick a fight and win through sheer force of will rather than manipulate people for his own gain. His father had once lamented the generational jump of this ability but had since rescinded in favor of pride over his son who turned into a most capable leader of the family.

The young woman stared at him as he adjusted his reading glasses. She had traveled from overseas to reach him here in his office with the papers in tow. Out of politeness he had decided to grant her an audience and read through the thick packet of papers as carefully as possible. She waited with a hopeful smile when his gaze flicked up from the papers to her face.

He almost flinched as he took her hopeful expression in. She looked like a carbon copy of her mother—his sister, he reminded himself. They were not complete strangers. He settled his gaze on her face and hid his frown with the papers. They looked nothing alike despite her being his niece. Her eyes were a cold gray and her hair a strange shade of green—he hoped it was a bad dye job. But what did he care? He hadn't spoken to his sister in years. When Fujino Kyoko cut off all ties with the family he was actually quite relieved. They had never gotten along and there was always something off about that woman. It only grew apparent when she married a hotshot foreigner with a severely inflated ego and unwarranted sense of self-importance. He always wondered what happened to that Marguerite fellow.

"… I'm sorry Tomoe, but I can't exactly concentrate on this at the moment," he admitted with a tired sigh. "I am supposed to meet with Shizuru in the hospital soon. Can this wait?"

His niece nodded.

"Sure, uncle," she replied congenially. "I wouldn't have you rush this at all."

He gave her an unreadable look before getting up from his chair. He pulled on a coat and held the door open to let his niece out.

"Please make yourself at home," he said. "I will be back soon."

"Oh? Will you be visiting her alone?" she asked.

He frowned. Even when they had grown up together—something about preventing a schism, his father had warned him—the two had never quite gotten along. Why would she show such keen interest now?

"… Yes. The doctor is only allowing family to visit."

"I am family too, am I not?"

Shigeru was sorely tempted to say otherwise, but he held his tongue. He was not a child, he reminded himself. Instead he repeated his earlier sentiment and drew his coat around his body before walking away. If he had waited, he mused later, he might have seen the strange glint to his niece's eyes.

Fuuka University Hospital was a twenty minute drive from his area office, a small but richly-furnished hotel. He had planned on giving the office to Shizuru when she graduated, but now he had taken up residence in the building until her recovery was certain. After checking in with the front desk he rode the elevator up to the recovery ward. He walked to her room and noticed that his daughter was still asleep. The doctor had cautioned him that there would be little day-to-day change, but that information had been disregarded in favor of blind optimism. With a sad smile he stroked her cheek and pulled up a chair to wait.

The door slid open to her room and he looked up, registering the blonde hair of the daughter of his business partner. He nodded as she gave a stiff bow.

"… At ease, Haruka."

She sighed but remained standing. She was joined a few minutes later by a mousy girl carrying three small paper cups of steaming liquid—coffee by the smell of it. He accepted one and took a small sip.

"Thank you, Yukino-chan," he said with a placid smile.

She gave a hasty bow when Haruka relieved her of the cups. Silence pervaded for the next few minutes as Shigeru threw a concerned look towards his bed-ridden daughter.

"You must be wondering why I've called you here," he began slowly.

When he was sure he had their attention he continued.

"I may be growing paranoid," he announced with a throaty chuckle. When no response came his lips drew a thin line. "To be honest… I'm not convinced that this was an accident at all, despite the reports."

He paused. "Have you seen her friend? Kuga-han, was it?"

"Kuga?" Haruka echoed. She frowned. "What does she have to do with any of this?"

"A few days ago I was told by a friend of Kuga-han, Tokiha-han, that she was at the scene of the accident as well," Shigeru elaborated with a wave of his hand. "If there is anyone who would confirm or deny my suspicions, it would be her."

"Records indicate that Kuga-san was placed in a recovery ward of this hospital," Yukino added in her quiet voice. "But the room was empty when we checked."

"I suppose she's not the type to answer questions, then," Shigeru noted.

Haruka snorted.

"Kuga is a truant and a bawler."

Yukino coughed.

"… Brawler, Haruka-chan."

Haruka frowned and cocked her head to the side.

"Didn't I just say that? Anyway, she wouldn't hesitate to cut and run if it meant she would avoid an interrogation." Her stance softened. "… But I wouldn't put it past her to try and figure out what happened. You can say she cares for Fu—Shizuru."

"I see. A brawler, huh?"

He could relate to that. He turned back towards his daughter.

"Haruka, you've grown very capable over the years," he commented.

"I have?" Haruka asked before clearing her throat. "I mean… I have, yes."

"You have," Shigeru confirmed. "You are truly your father's daughter."

Yukino blinked and adjusted her glasses as Haruka silently basked under the praise. Really, it wasn't a mystery where Shizuru gained her flattering skills. He exchanged a knowing look towards Yukino, who barely maintained a straight face.

"… As you may already know, Yukino-chan, the Suzushiro family prides itself in three things…"

"Strength, beauty, and GUTS!" Haruka and Shigeru chorused with varying amounts of enthusiasm.

Yukino suppressed an amused smile. If Shizuru was awake, she mused, she would have enjoyed the display. Shigeru cleared his throat once more after finishing his coffee.

"It is this capability and adherence to those values that I treasure most out of you," Shigeru continued in a more serious tone. "I'm glad you haven't changed…"

He drifted off as a distant rumble of thunder rolled past. It would be storming soon. Haruka blinked and a small frown formed on her lips.

"… Sir?" she asked after a terse moment.

Shigeru reached over for his daughter's hand and cradled it between his own.

"… I can't right stay here now. Not with these suspicions clouding my thoughts." He gently set her hand down and straightened the covers over her prone body before standing up. "My place isn't here, not when I am still able to hold my own."

"Will you be returning to Kyoto?" Yukino asked softly.

"I will go wherever my search takes me," he said cryptically.

"But—"

Maple-colored eyes seemed to reflect the flash of lightning outside as he looked at Haruka. Her argument died on her lips.

"I am entrusting my daughter's care onto you, Haruka, until my uncle is able to move her to our main house in Kyoto."

Shigeru gathered his coat but before leaving he leaned forward and placed a hand over Shizuru's forehead. After straightening he turned to regard the two girls and bowed his head curtly.

"It was a pleasure to see you two again, although I hope our next meeting will be under better circumstances."

"… You say that as if we won't be seeing you again," Haruka replied.

Despite her roughness he could see the worry begin to form beneath the terse lines of her frown. This caused the corner of his lips to pull upwards as he watched Haruka shift uncomfortably under his gaze.

"Will you give me a warm embrace if it really is our last parting?" Shigeru asked with a wistful sigh.

"Wh-what makes you think I would do something like that?" Haruka said with a slight squeak.

That reaction was what he had hoped for. This time he could not hide the glee that spread from his lips to his eyes.

"Oh, come on, Haruka. One hug wouldn't hurt, would it?"

Haruka took two steps away from the man.

"You… Suzushiros are a strictly no PTA family!" Haruka sputtered as she crossed her arms and stood her ground.

Yukino masked the giggle that threatened to break through by coughing.

"What is the matter with you, Yukino? Do you need something to drink?" Haruka asked.

"I'm fine… and it's PDA, Haruka-chan."

"Huh? But that's what I said—"

She yelped as she was roughly grabbed by burly arms and smashed into the impeccably-dressed owner of said arms. Her arms waved frantically and she attempted to shove herself away from her attacker but Shigeru's grip was bolstered by the sheer determination to win some affection. The man held her and swung her in place like one would a small child while she flailed in indignation.

"There, there, Haruka," he crooned over her enraged squawks. "This isn't so bad, is it?"

She finally shoved herself out of the hold and glared at him as he held his hands up in a placating measure.

"You… You… You don't go grabbing people like that!" Haruka protested hotly. "You're not much better than the roadside pervert who flashes people in the park!"

"You wound me, Haruka!" Shigeru exclaimed in mock-sadness. "Is this how you treat your precious Shigeru-ojisan?"

"You call yourself precious?! And you're no uncle of mine," she huffed in annoyance. "… Bubuzuke-otoko."

"Ah… I haven't been called that in a long time," Shigeru remarked as he clamped a hand on top of Haruka's head and began to pet her. "It brings me back to the days when your father and I went to school…"

Another round of enraged sputters ensued but he laughed them off and turned towards her friend.

"Take care of this one, Yukino-chan," he said with a smile. "Poor thing is clueless."

Yukino stammered out a good-bye that could barely be heard over Haruka's protests but he nodded just the same and waved before stepping out of the room. He noticed that a small army of nurses were now descending upon the hapless Suzushiro heiress. After some squabbling over endangering the patient by the former and cries of sexual harassment by the latter Shigeru chuckled to himself and popped the collar of his coat.

"Poor girls," he muttered to himself. "I hope they do well."

The company car was waiting for him when he exited the hospital. He quickly sprinted through the rain and entered the car. The driver offered a curt greeting before starting off and soon Shigeru felt himself begin to nod off.

"… Sir, I think we are being followed."

"Hm?"

Shigeru leaned his head back and turned slightly. Through the back window he could barely make out another car through the rain. He narrowed his eyes.

"Try to lose them, Takeshi."

"Yes sir."

His senses were on full alert when the car began a breakneck run through various out-of-place roads. Either the car tailing them was local or the driver very persistent as he realized that they had yet to lose their pursuer through the myriad of lane changes. The jagged cliffs overlooking a raging ocean were ahead. He bit his lip in an uncharacteristic display of nervousness. This particular road led to the docks. If they did not lose the car here through the mountains, there would be no where else to go. Nothing short of running the car off the mountainside could lose their follower.

The road was already tough to navigate but the plummeting rain made it even more unmanageable. He could hear the tires squeal as they struggled to keep a firm grip without hydroplaning off the road. Bright lights flashed in front of them and he squinted.

"Sir, we're going to crash!"

A horn sounded off through the heavy rain. The booming noise could only belong to a truck. The driver attempted to avoid it but the tires would hold on no longer. They locked in place and skimmed over the water-logged road. The nose of the car barely touched the truck. Shigeru breathed a short sigh of relief.

The car's left side caved in when it smashed into the guard rails of the mountainside. A free-fall commenced when the rail gave way to the open waters below. Shigeru's mind turned blank before flitting through mental snapshots that dizzied his perception and made his head tilt back. The gray ceiling of the car swam through the mental images and he blinked, suddenly confused. An unintelligible scream erupted from the front—the driver, he belatedly realized. The car was swallowed up in darkness as the ocean greeted them into its fold.

Water gushed through the cracks of the window and a surge of sea water smashed into him when the glass gave way to the pressure. He threw his arms up to shield himself from the freezing water and glass but his mouth opened as a cold shock settled in his body. Numb fingers fumbled with the seat belt buckle before his thumb managed to jam the button in. In front of him he registered the driver's arms limply floating up to the ceiling. The water around him was dyed in tendrils of deep red.

It was too cold. He could feel his arms begin to give out even as his fingers grazed the jagged glass of the destroyed window. He clenched his jaw and fought the burning in his lungs as unresponsive legs attempted to kick. Despair began to flood into his brain along with the adrenaline. He made one desperate push and mentally cried out in victory when he managed to kick himself free of the rapidly-sinking car. His luck was beginning to turn as he felt steely fingers grasp onto his wrist. He felt himself being pulled upwards and soon his face broke the surface of the water.

Shigeru gasped for air as he tumbled up and over what seemed to be a rowboat. The rain plummeted onto his back as he doubled over and spat out a mouthful of sea water before oxygen flooded his lungs. Adrenaline faded and his limbs began to feel like leaden weights when he finally turned around to try and acknowledge whoever his savior was. He gaped as he recognized the familiar gray eyes.

"Y-You…"

Something heavy cracked over his skull and he fell back with a heavy grunt.

When he failed to get up from that strike, Tomoe stood and observed her handiwork as she held the oar in her hands. The boat rocked slightly but she paid it no heed even when a man emerged from the water. He climbed onto the boat and took a few seconds to catch his breath.

"Did the driver survive?" she asked in a low voice.

The man shook his head.

"… Good."

Her smile took on a vicious curve as she turned her attention back to her uncle's unconscious body.

"Now, uncle… we'll play by my rules."

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Author's Note: It seems that most if not all of the main characters have mother issues now that I think about it. Then again it's been a while since I watched any of the franchise's series.

Do let me know what you think.


	3. Domesticated Disillusion

Good evening, and thanks for the lovely reviews!

After some deliberation I've outlined most if not all of the story. We'll see if that sticks. There will probably be a decent amount of action combining with the drama if it holds up. After all it's not Mai-hime without rainbows, shit going down, stuff blowing up, and green sparkles!

Mai-hime and related franchise belongs to Sunrise.

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**Domesticated Disillusion**

_One year later_

"I'm home."

There was no response from the empty apartment when Natsuki stepped through the doorway with her coat tucked under her arm. Beneath the coat she wore a crisp black suit with matching tie and a white dress shirt with a button-down collar. She quickly hooked her finger under her tie to loosen it while dropping her keys on the counter and setting the coat on the coat tree beside that. The apartment was bathed in light after a quick flip of the light switch and the young woman sighed wearily.

It was another hard day at work. Although what she did was very fruitful in terms of money it was a rather thankless job. She needed the money though—she was almost completely broke from an entire year of pouring her money towards information brokers. Her knuckles groaned as she rubbed them absently, but she knew they would be fine with a little bit of ointment and some rest. She made her way over to the couch and plopped down with the remote in hand. The TV shuddered to life and picked up in the middle of a popular variety show that she paid only casual attention to before shifting to lay down on the couch.

The TV was on loud. It helped to keep away the auditory memory of flesh hitting flesh, of bone cracking into bone. She turned so she faced the set. She had this job for over a year and she was very good at what she did. Her life settled into this monotonous pattern with her job that started at any hour and the subsequent crawl home for rest and maybe a meal if time permitted. She shifted and patted her stomach absently. The pre-packaged lunch box from the convenience store down the street was more than enough for the day's worth of food as evidenced by her stomach's lack of response. She nodded to herself and focused back on the television set. The colors blurred in and out and her eyelids fluttered before they slid shut.

A loud vibrating noise against the table caused Natsuki to shoot up into a sitting position. She fought to get her breathing back to normal before glancing around to check the source of the grating noise. Her hand blindly knocked into the cell phone and she cursed under her breath before curling her fingers around the blinking phone. She turned it over to view the display and groaned.

"I slept that long?" she muttered before she flipped the phone open and brought it to her ear.

"… This is Kuga."

"You've got a job in a half hour, sleepyhead. The target was seen wandering around your streets. Don't worry, it shouldn't take too long. And be clean with it."

Natsuki frowned.

"I always am."

The line went dead and she flipped the phone shut. With a soft groan she rubbed her eyes with her knuckles and settled in a slouching position on the couch. The television was still on, this time to the nightly news. She scarcely paid attention to it as she shoved herself up and went over to the kitchen for a glass of water. After she drank her fill she set the cup down and grabbed her suit jacket and overcoat. She also grabbed a pair of insulated black leather gloves as an afterthought. She tugged the gloves on her hands and a soft smile emerged from her lips as she closed her hands into fists. It wouldn't take very long at all.

She walked out into the bitter chill of a winter's night. The overcoat unfurled from her body as a strong gust of wind howled through the narrow street. She continued to walk with her hands shoved in her pockets and head bent down low to stave off some of the harsher blasts. It was too late and much too cold for anyone in their right mind to be out for the night. She sighed and watched the condensed air leave her lips in a white cloud. That telephone pole looked like a good place to wait. It was freezing against her upper back but she leaned against it and waited patiently. It took less than ten minutes of waiting before she saw her target.

She knew his face and build from countless photographs. She knew his name: Maeda Yamato. She knew he was thirty-nine years old with graying hair. He had two children in grade school and a wife who cooked him his favorite curry rice every Wednesday night when he came home from his job as a salary-man. He took the train to the industrial district every day at 4:30 in the morning for two hours and was never late to work. He turned in nothing but the most exemplary work, his colleagues would say.

However, he was fond of drinking a little too much, and with that came a fondness for gambling in mahjong. He was an amateur player and did well for himself. Subsequently he began to lose when games were played with hustlers the yakuza hired to get their money back for them. After a particularly harsh loss, Maeda cried wolf on them by claiming that he was under the protectorate of a powerful underboss in the city. He bounced out on paying the princely sum of two million yen before the ruse was found out. The swindled men were not amused and decided to take matters in their own hands—which meant they got on the phone and opened their wallets.

In the back of his mind he knew who she was. As her cold green eyes roved over and locked onto his, he felt his steps slow until he finally stopped in front of her. He wasn't a stupid man—at least, she hoped he wasn't any more stupid than he already was in the first place. A desperate grin lit his face and her eyes narrowed.

A muscular thug—probably hired, she mused—stepped out and attempted to grab her in a bear hug. She nimbly escaped and threw her coat onto his face. The cloth flapped over his eyes and he clawed at the thick coat to free his vision. She launched herself in the air and sailed down towards him. She twisted in mid-air and a leg snapped out to catch him in the back of the neck. The sickening crack echoed. He stumbled and did a strange, jerky backwards dance before he hit a concrete wall and slid down. Casually she retrieved her coat to brush off the snow before carefully folding it up and placing it on top of the prone thug.

Maeda turned and tried to run away. He heard a strange noise behind him—it sounded like some sort of dog, he thought. He felt something close around the back of his jacket collar. A gurgled yelp was cut short as he was roughly jerked back. She used this leverage to neatly lift the man into the air before slamming him into the ground. The snow lessened the impact in exchange for filling his body with a cold shock that caused his teeth to chatter uncontrollably. He was flipped around so that his back rested on the frozen asphalt. He had no money. He could not pay. And even if he could, they would not take the money. All this he read from his killer's eyes and suddenly he seized up. Again he felt himself shudder from something other than the cold.

He screamed as he stared into the frightening eye of the black wolf on top of him.

The wolf snarled and a blast of searing air blew into his face. A liquid hot jolt of desperation shook him to his core and he desperately clawed at whatever was securing him to the ground.

Was it a hand? A paw? What the hell was it?

_What the __**hell**__ was a __**wolf**__ doing here in city streets?!_

His panic only reinforced the grip on his neck and he sputtered as he fought harder to try to breathe. He began to feel lightheaded and the attacks on her arm slowed to faint punches. His eyes began to roll to the back of his head as they caught one last glimpse of that frightful emerald orb.

Would this be the last thing he saw? Inwardly he screamed out at his killer, this black wolf. He wanted to say that he wasn't the one to blame here. He had two children. His wife wouldn't be able to keep the family afloat, especially when the yakuza come to collect the debt. His family would fall through the cracks of society.

His mind flashed. For a fleeting moment he remembered that he had taken his family out to the park two days ago and they had made snow angels on a hillside. Some money fell out of his wife's purse and he found it to be a high-denomination bill. Wordlessly he had pocketed it. Idiot, he had thought, she deserves not to have this. _For all my hard work, all she ever does is drop it like an ungrateful child._ He used that bill later that night to buy several drinks… and initiate a game.

She knew this as well. She knew that he was a liar and braggart. She knew that he had been swindling his family out of their savings for years. In the future when his wife checks for funds for the children's school tuition she would find nothing in their savings accounts. He had spent it all on liquor and several high-stakes games, one of which would now land them in a world of debt. It was all in the papers she had been given, black and white. It wasn't her job to consider any extenuating circumstance.

All of his arguments expelled in one strangled noise as his fighting ceased. His fingers froze in the middle of one final push and she wrenched her arm free from his cold hands. She took in a deep breath to steady herself when the dizziness caused her to lean against the same wall the thug was occupying.

"Ah. Looks like I overdid it this time."

She shuddered but felt the nauseating presence lift from the back of her mind. With a shaky sigh she turned to observe the unconscious man beside her. The cleaning crew would be here soon. The snow would cover everything in time for the neighborhood street cleaners to completely destroy the crime scene in the name of keeping the streets snow-free for traffic.

Something crinkled as she pressed her hand against his coat pocket and she shifted as she extracted the source of the noise. It was a slim white envelope filled with bills—his recent paycheck. She stood and counted the bills. It wasn't enough to pay back the debt. He was going to go out for another night of gambling. With a sneer she pocketed the envelope and retrieved her coat. She shrugged it on before reaching for the cell phone.

"It's done."

There was a lengthy pause before the other line responded.

"He's not dead, is he?"

Natsuki nudged the prone body with her foot.

"He was scared shitless, but he's not dead. He also brought a friend that I had to take care of."

"… Boss is going to have a field day. Anyway, good job… I guess."

"Just… pick them up before they freeze to death."

She clapped the phone shut. The fur that insulated the collar of her coat stood on end as she popped the collar up. It surrounded her neck and cheeks, giving her the grizzled appearance of a beast lurking the shadows of pre-dawn winter. This wolf stuffed her hands into her pockets and felt the envelope between her fingers as she marched back through the snow towards her home. Her footsteps were covered by the falling snow by the time she left the street.

Two nights later was curry night. Maeda Sachiko heard the doorbell ring and she looked up from the simmering pot. Her oldest child looked up from his videogame and made to get the door before Sachiko waved him back. He shrugged and returned to his game while his mother wiped her hands on a dishcloth and walked over to the door of their modest three-bedroom house. She opened the door and was greeted by a young woman with piercing emerald eyes. The girl smiled—it did not quite reach her eyes, Sachiko noticed—and she extracted a slim envelope.

"In light of the circumstances and your uncle holding the position he does, the underboss is willing to rescind his earlier threat of imposing your husband's debt onto you. In exchange he requests your permission for punishing your husband at his own convenience."

Sachiko blinked before heaving a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad. When I heard the charge from my uncle I just about died. Yes, the underboss has my permission to do as he pleases." Sachiko stared at the envelope. "And this is…?"

"The underboss felt that you would do better with your husband's paycheck than he would."

Sachiko accepted the envelope with a short bow.

"That man…" She straightened and her frown melted away. "Thank you very much, Kuga-san. I'm happy my uncle recommended your services."

"It's no problem. It is my job as a negotiator."

"Still…" Sachiko smiled. "… Would you like some curry?"

A few minutes later Natsuki walked out into the bitter cold but this time with a bag carrying a set of two plastic containers. She looked down at the plastic bag and shrugged before setting off with the meal in tow. It was a fair exchange –she had been in a mood for curry anyway. Her leisurely walk took her back to her apartment and she turned the key through the lock.

"I'm home."

For a second she could hear the voice tickle her ears with a kind "Welcome back." The illusion diminished but the feeling remained deep in her chest, something unfamiliar but welcoming. She set the bag down and rubbed her forehead. For a moment she felt herself go blind at the action when her palm covered her right eye. She did not fight this unnerving sensation.

"I wonder… What would you think of me now?"

The image of a patient smile bloomed beneath her closed eyelids and she found herself mirroring it unconsciously.

"Wait for me, Shizuru."

* * *

Author's Note: I was reading the reviews again when editing this and grew somewhat inspired over Tomoe's prospect as a villain. This is not to say that she isn't in the villain spotlight at the moment... but she does have her reasons.


	4. Interlocked

Afternoon,

Thank you for your reviews. In return, a present!  
I thought about it and decided to chop this into two chapters and release the second a little later in the evening if time allows.

A few notes:

1. The wolf is a very blink-or-you-miss-it thing at first. It'll be back with its own story to tell soon enough.  
2. Speaking of explanations... Things will be explained in due time. Natsuki does not seem the type to launch into thrilling monologues in the middle of beating up a thug, however amusing that may be.  
3. To my enigmatic reviewer known as "V": Telling the driver basically to gun it and risk crashing might have been a little _too_ reckless, but Shigeru is a very reckless man in nature and that's as far as I go for now without too much revealing, lol :D

* * *

**Interlocked**

The alarm beeped at precisely 4:45 in the morning. She yawned and stretched as she took in the blinking numbers on her clock. She hopped out of bed and walked over to the bathroom to brush her teeth and get ready for another long day at the local cafe. The café and apartment above had taken nearly all of her savings but after toiling day in and day out for nearly half a year the cafe was beginning to pay for itself. It was a close call, but now Mai woke up to her job with a feeling of accomplishment.

It was nearly five in the morning when Mai clapped her hands over her cheeks and walked downstairs to check up on the rolls she had set out to rise during the night. The small squad of loyal workers began to walk in and take up their aprons as Mai fired up the stoves and coffee machines for the morning rush. At 6:00 the stoves were ablaze and the sign in front of the _Edelweiss_ café was turned from "Closed" to "Open." The doors opened with a crisp jangle of bells and the breakfast crowd stumbled in, mumbling their greetings amidst the cheerful calls of the waitresses who sat them down. The regulars were given their preferred drinks and newcomers were treated to a menu and smile. Mai watched the proceedings from behind the kitchen counter. She smiled and went back to whisking up eggs for an omelet.

Several hours passed before the breakfast crowd thinned and was replaced by a scant amount of customers, giving Mai some time off to designate duties for her staff. She took a cup of coffee and observed her customers chomping away at her food with such zeal that she couldn't help but smile. Business was doing phenomenally well. Last week she was able to hire another cook to help keep up with demand. Said cook lumbered in at 8:30 with a cheerful wave and his sleeves already rolled up to dive into the kitchen. She returned his wave and sat down at a stool with her coffee in hand.

The doors opened once more with their friendly jingle and she turned. This time her lips split into a wide grin as she hopped off the chair.

"Yukino-san, Suzushiro-san! What a surprise!"

The bespectacled young woman gave a short bow and shy smile while the older and more boisterous woman gave a curt nod.

"We decided we would stop by since we were in the area," Haruka said airily.

"Haruka-chan, I thought you said you were hungry?" Yukino asked as she waited for her glasses to stop fogging up.

"Well… that too. But this is only a short break!"

Mai witnessed the exchange and frowned.

"Are the two of you busy? If so I can box your orders for you."

Haruka began to nod but was cut off by Yukino.

"Thank you, but we can eat here."

"Yukino!"

Yukino sighed and looked at Mai apologetically. "Haruka-chan is just a little on edge right now. If she has some coffee she'll calm down."

Mai nodded and procured another cup while a waitress showed the two their booth. She set down the steaming mug of black coffee, a small bowl filled with sugar cubes and a small pitcher of milk. Haruka eyed the display and took the sugar tongs supplied with the bowl. After plopping in two sugars and a drop of milk she stirred it all together and took a sip before heaving a great sigh.

"… Thank you," she muttered as she set the cup down.

Mai took the seat beside Yukino and clasped her hands together.

"Is there anything I can get you?"

"… I'll take a western omelet," Haruka said.

"Some pancakes would be nice," Yukino added. "And some tea, please."

After calling out the orders and getting a cup of breakfast tea, Mai settled into the booth once more.

"So! What brings the two of you here?"

Yukino shot an uncertain look towards Haruka, who merely frowned and looked down at her coffee. The tea cup was set in front of Yukino and she gave it a liberal splash of milk to busy her hands. Mai watched the silent exchange and leaned back against the plush seats of the booth.

"… Fujino is coming back from Kyoto this weekend," Haruka announced.

The announcement was met with a stunned silence from the café owner. She shook herself out of it and stared at the woman sitting across the table.

"Are you sure?" she asked finally.

Haruka barely suppressed her impatient snort. "Of course I am! I received the announcement myself when I had stopped by my house to pick up a few things."

"We didn't believe it at first either," Yukino added with a small frown.

Mai nodded.

"I'd say…" She paused. "Is she… alright?"

"I don't know," Haruka replied stiffly. "That is… the e-mail said she's alright. But I doubt it."

"Maybe she really is alright?" Yukino asked more to herself. "It's been some time."

"I doubt it," Haruka repeated. Finality seeped deep within her words.

The conversation drifted off at that abrupt note to more harmless topics which were awarded occasional grunts of acknowledgement by Haruka before the meals arrived. After that only the sounds of food being chewed and swallowed came from her end of the table until the omelet was neatly devoured. Another mug of coffee was set in front of her and this she polished off as Yukino and Mai discussed some banal aspect of their current lives over the pancakes and cups of tea and coffee respectively.

"I'll be back," Haruka said, and she stood and walked out of the café before any response was made.

Mai watched her go with a sense of concern. She felt a hand on her arm and realized that she was about to get up when Yukino shook her head.

"She's very high-strung right now," Yukino said quietly.

"You mean she's not normally like this?" Mai asked in response.

Yukino shook her head with a small smile.

"It's more frustrating to sit and wait than it is to do something rash… at least, in her opinion that holds true."

"Really?" Mai leaned back and frowned. "I wouldn't have expected that from Suzushiro-san. It always seemed like they were in a fight whenever I saw the two together."

"You must understand, Mai-san." Yukino pushed the bridge of her glasses up before resting her chin on her hand. "Despite their rivalry, Haruka-chan and Fujino-san are still rather close. After graduation from Fuuka they kept in contact with one another even when Fujino-san went to Tokyo and Kuga-san followed."

"Seems nice," Mai commented with a small grin before sobering. "… I wish Natsuki would've paid the same common courtesy to me aside from those odd visits. Honestly, we did room together when we went to school you know."

The shy brunette waved her hands in an attempt to diffuse the annoyed mood.

"Friends are still friends regardless of distance right?" she added with a small smile. Mai more or less nodded and Yukino adjusted her glasses. "… The news that Fujino-san is coming back to Fuuka came as a huge surprise to Haruka-chan… considering… well, you know."

Yukino waved her hand lamely, but Mai nodded just the same.

The accident had nearly rendered Fujino Shizuru permanently catatonic. There was no clear depiction of what exactly had happened. The only eye witness was one Kuga Natsuki who was in the hospital for what seemed to be an unrelated incident in the same area. Apparently she had lost control of her motorcycle and ended up crashing her head against the pavement after being flipped over by an oncoming car. True to her nature Natsuki was up and walking around after the preliminary operations albeit with a patch over her left eye.

When Mai had received the call about the former Kaichou she had to restrain Natsuki from doing something violent to whoever was responsible for landing her in the hospital. It took several hours and the help of several retainers to keep the girl from barging into Shizuru's room. However, one look at the barely-alive woman on the hospital bed when she finally calmed down was enough to send Natsuki into a rage so deep that no earthly force could stop her. The wolf had broken clean from their holds and was out for blood.

That was the last they had seen of her.

The silence weighed heavily on them as Yukino finished her tea and set the cup down on its saucer. Mai absently tapped a pattern on the tabletop.

"… What do you think of it?" Mai asked quietly.

"I'm not sure," Yukino confessed. "But I agree with Haruka-chan. The very nature of the accident is suspicious in itself. The only credible witness to it is Kuga-san, and we haven't been in contact with her since she left the hospital."

"I don't know where she is, either," Mai admitted. "I had expected her to come back after she had cooled her head, but that was a year ago. Who knows where she is now?"

"… Maybe she was on the same track as Haruka-chan," Yukino muttered.

Mai blinked.

"I'm sorry?"

Yukino, to Mai's curiosity, did not stammer or do anything to defuse her own statement. She merely breathed in and sighed.

"Fujino-san has been allowed back to Fuuka but with a 'retainer.' Haruka-chan is convinced that this is to make sure nothing slips up about what happened. She says that the severe lack of police involvement and nature of the Fujino family may have something to do with it."

"Wait… So you're saying… you're saying that this may have not been an accident?" Mai asked in a low voice.

Yukino looked over around the diner.

"It might not amount to anything. Maybe it was just an accident. But she wants to be absolutely certain."

"Would the Fujino family be able to cover up something like that, though?" Mai asked contemplatively.

"I have been trying for the past few months under Haruka-chan's request to run a search on several databases for Fujino-san's whereabouts and condition."

Yukino seemed especially agitated when she paused to take a sip of tea. Today was a day of new expressions, Mai thought to herself.

"I found nothing. Not one hit. The family is notorious for keeping its affairs away from the general public."

After another sigh she looked up. "Can we ask you a favor, Mai-san?"

"I'm listening."

"If… If anything strange occurs, especially if you think it might be pertinent to this case, please let either me or Haruka-chan know."

She nodded in response. Yukino fidgeted with her napkin and set it down. Mai got up and let Yukino slide out of the booth. The door opened with a jarring clatter of noise. Haruka breathed out an impressive cloud of steam from the frigid air outside but she waited patiently as Yukino gathered her things together. Mai walked her over to the open door and stood still as Haruka's violet eyes centered on her. Despite being out of school for two years she still quaked in her shoes when subjected to the "Suzushiro-glare." Haruka pinned her with her eyes for another second before looking away and frowning.

"If you manage to get into contact with that delinquent Kuga… Tell her that Fujino is awake."

With that the two left with the jangle of bells against the door. Mai watched them go with an unreadable expression on her face. She noticed the purple flowers in Haruka's arms—Wisteria. Despite the cold weather the flower shop across the street still sold lively blossoms.

"Fujino-san always liked those flowers," she murmured to herself as she walked back to clear the table.

As she stacked the two dishes and cups she noticed that the cloth napkin Yukino had folded crinkled when she picked it up. With a curious frown she opened the napkin and discovered the meal paid in full. A small note accompanied the bills and this she picked up and unfolded.

_Don't mind about us paying for breakfast. Please keep what we said to yourself only._

Mai folded the note and pocketed it. The note had been neatly written in Yukino's handwriting. The assorted pieces clicked and Mai knew then that the entire meeting had been planned from the get-go, right down to the impromptu entrance. With that thought in mind she stared back at the bills before shrugging and placing them into the cash register for the time being. The table was cleared and prepped for another set of customers clamoring for a late breakfast and early lunch. This was crunch time for Mai, who busily prepared herself for the steady influx of customers.

As the hustle of customers began to thin well into the evening hours, Mai thanked her workers and waved them off after clean-up. The sign switched to "Closed" at precisely 8:00 PM and she went upstairs to her apartment. She took her apron off and picked up the note from her pocket before settling down on her couch.

If the entire thing was so under wraps, she reasoned, then that would mean something was already discovered about the accident in question. They would not be running blindly through this. While she could chalk up such behavior to the overzealous former Executive Director and even her best friend, she knew that Yukino would have restrained Haruka from taking such action unless she agreed with it. Mai frowned. Something definitely was up. For a fleeting moment she stared at the phone in front of her.

If she knew the correct number she would have jumped up and dialed it months ago. Who knew how many times she tried the old number only to hear a computerized voice tell her it was unavailable. She would have yelled at her friend's idiocy and beg her to give up this vendetta and just _come home already_. Deep down she knew she could scarcely blame her friend for flying off into that rage. What had frightened her more was the intensity of the action. Natsuki reportedly had a famous temper but the lack of incidents tied to this temper led to the belief that it was merely hearsay. This time, the so-called Ice Princess had exploded into a fury so blindingly hot that she had viciously broken free from Mai's hold and never once looked back.

If this really was some sort of conspiracy, Mai figured that Natsuki would be the first one there to unravel it to the core. It was wishful thinking but such thoughts had never failed to keep Mai afloat in her own sea of anxiety. She turned and regarded the small framed photo on the coffee table in front of her.

It was the only photo she had in her possession that contained most of her friends from high school after her first year. It had been taken the day of the impressive Student Council trio's graduation, a time of much celebration and a good amount of sorrow. The former had been attributed to the end of the Suzushiro Executive Regime and the latter was caused by the realization that the power duo of Fujino and Kanzaki was leaving as well. While the fan girls and boys wept for their departure—and countless students expressed their undying joy of freedom from the Regime—there had been nothing but happiness within her own group as far as Mai could recall.

So many good things had been going for them. Tate Yuichi, vice-captain of the kendo club, had asked her out at the end of the year and she had accepted. Reito was recovering from his wounds from an unfortunate incident from a kendo match but the prognosis was good and his smiles reflected that. Even Suzushiro Haruka was in on the joyous occasion and even managed to "let loose," so to speak. Mai recalled with a giggle that said actions had led to raucous drinking—provided free of charge by their teacher, of all people. The night went on in a snowball-effect of increasingly crazy events which concluded with Haruka crooning the karaoke table by the end of the night. What had stood out most of all were the quiet smiles of the so-called Ice Princess and the Kaichou. She hadn't known then, of course, but she put the pieces together when, two years later, Natsuki packed her bags after their own graduation and announced that she was off to Tokyo.

"_Oh, so you're going to school there?" _

"_Ah, that too."_

"_Huh? Then…"_

_A smile. "There's someone I have to be with right now."_

They had been so happy together. Mai could see that much through the sporadic visits to Fuuka during breaks. Natsuki laughed more freely and even the mask that Shizuru had taken to wearing for so long was fading in favor of genuine emotion. The two had been inseparable, Mai learned, ever since Natsuki had arrived to Fuuka with bitterness in her eyes and a grudge towards people in general. It took several long years but eventually Shizuru had patiently chipped away from the stone around the young girl's heart, and Natsuki was all the more thankful for it. They weathered their trials and came through as unbreakable. It was, in short, something beautiful.

This caused a bitter laugh to fall from Mai's lips.

Beauty? Where had that gone?

The accident took away Natsuki's depth perception and seemingly her sense of humanity. Shizuru was almost killed—almost, but Mai wasn't sure if anything great had happened to her during this time. The months after the accident grew exceedingly bitter. The restaurant almost went under and the relationship with Yuichi burst from the pressures of life and incompatibility. That was the last she heard of him when she refused to return his pleas for a second chance. Most of her friends had left Fuuka for loftier goals, and the messages were sporadic at best. Only Mikoto was a frequent visitor and even she was beginning to branch off from common interests. A shadow had been cast over them all, but maybe this turn of events would do them well. With that in mind, Mai stood and picked up the picture. She ran a hand across the frame before setting it back down.

"Come home soon, Natsuki," she said softly. "We'll be helping, this time."

* * *

The lyrics of "Miss Murder" by A.F.I. might give you a few clues overall. I was listening to it randomly and it surprised me how apt it was.


	5. Push and Pull

Good evening/night?

As promised, a present. If this was stuck together with the last chapter it would've easily been like 6000+ words. Haha, ick.  
Oh, it's only going to get confusing from this point on. I can already see some of the questions, lol.

Enjoy, and don't be afraid to ask.

Mai-hime and related franchise is copyrighted by Sunrise, etc.

* * *

**Push and Pull**

The weekend arrived, and with it came a howl of ice rain that brought torrents of needles tapping against closed windows. The newly-coined Dynamic Duo of Suzushiro Haruka and Kikukawa Yukino decided that before meeting with their former Kaichou they would sit down for some tea and snacks at the Suzushiro mansion. The tea of the day was a lively red English blend that lent itself well to the shortbread cookies offered along with the pitcher of milk. The two sat and enjoyed the companionable silence while winter's rages hammered the sturdy walls of the mansion.

"What a bad day, looks like it's raining rats and clogs," Haruka commented offhandedly as she observed the ice rain plummeting down.

Yukino looked up from the newspaper and tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"… Cats and dogs?" she supplied.

"I thought I said that?" Haruka murmured to herself. She shook her head and frowned as she tapped the newspaper. "Did it say anything about this weather letting up?"

"It only says that this may be the worst winter in a hundred years," Yukino replied before taking a small sip of her tea.

"Really?" Haruka reached for a cookie and bit down. The crunch echoed across the otherwise empty room. "This is the first time in a while that I've seen this much snow on the ground. Makes sense, I suppose."

A spry old man dressed up in a smart tuxedo approached the table. After his low bow the butler straightened and cleared his throat softly.

"Fujino-sama has arrived on the premises," he informed gravely. "She arrived in a company car that is waiting outside the mansion."

"Already?" Haruka questioned. At the butler's nod she frowned contemplatively. "Show her in. This room will be fine, Nobue-san."

"Understood, Haruka ojou-sama."

With another bow the butler walked out of the room. Haruka and Yukino exchanged curious glances before the doors to the sitting room opened several minutes later. Instead of one set of footsteps they heard two. Haruka turned first to see just who the second individual would be—Nobue always waited by the door. Immediately Haruka's hackles were raised and Yukino looked up in alarm. She laid a warning hand on Haruka's arm but the older girl paid it no heed as she roughly stood from the table. Her eyes stared piercingly at one particular individual, the only one Yukino failed to recognize.

She was an odd-looking person at first glance. The dark green hair was cut at an odd angle with one side longer than the other. Yukino admitted she never paid religious attention to recent fashion trends but this seemed a little extreme. The unfamiliar woman possessed gray eyes that reflected cold steel. She looked reasonably attractive but there was something about her that Yukino hesitated upon. She was trying too hard to be civil, Yukino found. Haruka and the stranger seemed to be sizing each other up in the terse silence before common courtesy dictated that the hostess greet her guests.

"… Marguerite," Haruka said stiffly.

"Suzushiro," the woman returned with a barely-disguised sneer. "Fancy seeing you here in high society… for once."

Haruka's eyes grew to a dangerous size and Yukino hurriedly tried to execute damage control. Indeed, it would only take another ill-advised comment to drive Haruka to flip the table over on the visitor and reduce the room to bits.

"Ara… we shouldn't fight."

The two stopped in their silent bickering and Yukino looked towards the source of the statement. Marguerite, Yukino noticed, immediately softened under those words and began to simper in some attempt to look apologetic. Haruka breathed out slowly.

"… Hello again, Fujino," Haruka said with a short nod.

Haruka was met by a winter's beauty framed in flaxen hair and accentuated by startling crimson eyes. She had not changed much in the way that her striking looks and calm demeanor still remained recognizable. Shizuru had lost some of the stubborn baby fat from her cheeks, giving her a slimmer and more mature appearance. Too slim, Haruka thought with a disapproving frown. Something was off with those eyes again, but it wasn't the deep-seated unpredictability that she would often see beneath the vapid looks Shizuru would give. This Shizuru looked positively ill.

"H-How have you been?" Yukino asked, trying to break the silent tension in the room.

Shizuru turned and nodded towards the younger girl.

"I have been well, thank you."

Haruka pulled up a chair and procured a spare from the corner of the room. The four took their seats and Nobue brought along a fresh pot of tea along with a small tray of sugars and milk. Haruka turned towards her butler.

"Fujino, you like green tea, right? Nobue, please prepare—"

"That won't be necessary," Marguerite interjected. "Shizuru-sama, you will do just fine with the English tea, will you not?"

Haruka's grasp on the sugar tongs brought Yukino's worried eyes once more towards the barely under control woman. It was one thing to be interrupted by someone but to interrupt Haruka in her own house when she was trying her hardest to be civil was not something to attempt for kicks. One wrong move and Haruka could just as well stab the girl's eyes out. Yukino shifted her glance towards the other side of the table. Shizuru's empty eyes looked down at the cup of steaming red tea and again up towards Marguerite, who nodded her on. After a tense moment she turned and smiled apologetically towards Haruka.

"I am fine with this tea, but thank you Suzushiro-han."

The fight deflated from Haruka. She sent Nobue away with a half-hearted wave. Silence reigned supreme at the table, accompanied only by the sounds of cookies being demolished one by one in Haruka's effort to remain civil in the already ruined atmosphere. During this snack attack Yukino noticed out the corner of her eye that Marguerite had taken to mixing the sugars and milk for Shizuru's tea.

This was strange. She had prepared all sorts of tea for the Student Council at Fuuka and knew how each member liked their tea within the first few times of preparing it. In all her years of preparing tea she knew that Shizuru drank her tea without embellishments no matter what type was being served. Yukino watched cautiously as the former Kaichou took this sickeningly sweet tea into her hands and had a sip.

For a moment Yukino paused. Did she see something else being mixed in along with the tea?

She shook her head and returned to her own cup. It wouldn't do well to light the situation on fire over an innocent observation. If Haruka got wind of it who knew what would go down.

"So, are you running around begging for scraps again, Marguerite?" Haruka asked in a bored tone.

The other woman's face had a distinct red hue to it. A few seconds later she emitted a haughty laugh towards Haruka who regarded her through narrowed eyes.

"At least I was born into some substance, Suzushiro."

"… I guess you can say that if that's what lets you sleep at night without wetting yourself over it," Haruka replied with a sardonic smile. "What with your… _tendencies_, let's just say."

She paused for a moment to stir her tea, further infuriating her guest. The conversation grew exceedingly banal and Yukino began to tune it out. It seemed to be designed as being more of a pissing match between Marguerite and Haruka than anything else. While Yukino was familiar with Haruka's mostly one-sided rivalries with others—especially with Fujino Shizuru—there was something markedly different going on here. Even with Shizuru's reckless teasing in the past, Haruka had never really entertained the thought of causing her rival permanent physical damage. It would be below a Suzushiro to actively wish a rival that sort of harm, Haruka had once explained to Yukino.

"_A rival is beaten through fair means! We don't do any of that bait and switching like that bubuzuke-onna!" _

Yukino watched Haruka's fingers curl around the handle of the porcelain tea cup. For a second she imagined her friend wildly crashing the cup down on Marguerite's head, and with a jolt she realized that Haruka was incredibly willing to do it. Marguerite seemed to pick up on this as well and was even beginning to back off from the increasingly irate hostess. Fortunately for all of them Shizuru set her half-empty tea cup down and cleared her throat.

"I apologize for interrupting this lively conversation," she said to the bickering duo. "But my presence is required at Fuuka Gakuen on request from the Headmistress."

The fight subsequently defused as Marguerite immediately hopped up from her chair.

"You're right, we mustn't be late for that, Shizuru-sama," she announced quickly. "I will get your coat."

Marguerite marched off to grab the butler for the coat. This reprieve was what Haruka was waiting for. She jumped up as well and caught Shizuru's arm before she could leave the table.

"What happened to you, Shizuru?"

Something flickered in Shizuru's eyes when Haruka spoke her name. Haruka could feel it reach out to her and she held her breath as she waited.

"You look a little winded, Fujino-san," Yukino added quietly. "How are you?"

Again, the emptiness attempted to creep away in favor of clarity. Shizuru struggled with herself for a moment and her body shook with the effort. Finally her clenched jaw relaxed enough to enable her to speak.

"… Two weeks."

"Huh?"

A cryptic smile twitched on the former Kaichou's lips, as if it was Haruka who was babbling crazy talk and not the other way around.

"In two weeks, Sapporo."

"What do you mean?" Haruka demanded. "What's going to happen in Sapporo in two weeks?"

"The connection with…"

Her lips moved quickly—her speech was much quicker than usual, Yukino noted—but no sound came out for a second.

"… is stronger when I'm not under." Shizuru continued before lapsing into a conflicted silence.

Despite the lack of vocal communication Haruka could almost hear the hidden words tickle her ears when she stared into those crimson eyes. Suddenly her gaze flicked down to her teacup, catching Yukino's attention once more. The eyes turned empty again.

"I…"

She blinked. The connection was lost and once more she retreated deep within herself.

"Wait—"

Haruka spotted the returning bob of green hair and hastily let go of Shizuru, who slowly turned. The younger woman stopped and threw a suspicious glance towards Haruka who in turn looked a little miffed.

Shizuru bowed her head towards the two and turned to leave the room once more with Marguerite leading the way. This time her exit came unhindered and the duo was left in a deafening silence. Something surged up from Haruka and a she took in a deep breath. Her fists slammed onto the table. The clatter of porcelain echoed across the room and some of the tea from Shizuru's cup spilled out onto the saucer. This triggered something in Yukino's brain and she hurriedly salvaged the tea before Haruka spilled it all in her rage-induced fit. She looked at the murky liquid and frowned. If there was something other than tea leaves, sugar, milk, and water, she would find it.

Her thoughts were put on hold when Nobue walked into the room once more. As he began to pick up the scattered cups he threw a curious glance towards the cup in Yukino's hands.

"Ah, Nobue-san. May I please have a clean plastic container with a lid?"

The strange request caused Nobue to blink. True to his calling, however, he silently departed the room and returned with the requested container in hand. Yukino accepted it and poured the remaining tea in the container before shutting the lid on top. Afterwards the table was cleared and Yukino set the plastic container down before retaking her seat.

"Damn that weasel!" Haruka roared. "If I had known that little fart was with Shizuru I'd have…"

"… Tart?"

Haruka let loose a mighty groan.

"Tart, fart, whatever. They both fit."

"Haruka-chan?"

Haruka turned. "What is it, Yukino?"

"… Who was she?"

"Her? Tomoe Marguerite?" Haruka crossed her arms. "She likes to pretend she's a member of high society, when really what all her claims amount to is the fact that she's related to the Fujino family." A sneer grew on her face. "She's just a punk who thinks she's entitled to more."

"Tomoe Marguerite…" Yukino frowned. "How do you know her so well, Haruka-chan? You've never mentioned her."

"Her mother is Fujino's aunt," Haruka explained. "There wasn't really anything of note going on until Shizuru's parents got married in an arranged match. When her aunt couldn't get her free handouts from the family anymore she went and got married to the first rich foreigner she saw. I only heard that the man went bankrupt and had to be taken care of by Fujino before he hacked into company funds."

"… I imagine that did not go well for Marguerite-san's mother," Yukino commented.

"Damn right it didn't, and the kid seems to have picked up where her mother left off." Haruka leered as she glared at the door.

"…I don't know why that brat is running around with the Fujino family again but I intend to find out. If you ask me that entire family is a little weird… filled with strange habits and tendencies. I wish that _bubuzuke-otoko_ would come back from wherever the hell he disappeared to."

Yukino frowned. She was right, of course. It had been a year since they had last seen him and they had no idea where he could be.

"The entire Fujino empire is crumbling. You've seen her, Yukino. Do you think she's capable of leading a company that's about to fall down under its own weight? She's out there babbling crazy talk about Sapporo in two weeks. Really, what was that?"

Yukino frowned while Haruka began to pace the room.

"Two weeks… two weeks…" Haruka vigorously ran her fingers across her scalp. "What the hell does that mean? Fujino didn't go crazy, did she? I mean that might be a fine explanation for what the hell happened but—"

The words faded as Yukino crossed her arms and tucked her chin in a contemplative pose.

_Sapporo, two weeks._

_The connection… is stronger when I'm not under._

The first line denoted a meeting place and time. That much Yukino was sure of. She remembered that Shizuru would often write her meeting locations and times in this brief manner during Student Council meetings. The concise manner was an easy template to work with and Yukino had used it plenty of times to log their meetings and in turn initiate her own during her run as Kaichou. That noted, something will happen in two weeks in the city of Sapporo.

The second line was puzzling but Yukino was somewhat of an expert in parsing through the nuances of speech. Hanging around Haruka and guessing the correct words for her jumbled up vocabulary was ample training for that. Shizuru's tone had been matter-of-fact; the statement therefore was a simple fact that had come to pass a while ago.

_When I'm not under._

Yukino stared at the plastic container she had set on the table. Again, another odd thing. Shizuru loved tea. A drop of tea wasted was a drop of tea mourned. There was more than half a cup of fine English tea left in the container. She adjusted her glasses and frowned.

_The connection… is stronger._

Connection to what? Reality might have been a fitting choice but Yukino shook her head. That couldn't have been the real answer. She sighed, realizing that she was reaching the limits of her own deductive reasoning on this tiny heap of evidence. Still, she reasoned, two out of three wasn't so bad when facing something as bizarre as this.

"… About that crazy talk, Haruka-chan."

The ranting stopped mid-sentence, somewhere around a passionate declaration to teach Tomoe a lesson in civilized society by beating her with "these civilized fists of mine." When she winded down from her fantasies of exacting that wild brand of justice, Haruka looked down at the plastic container when Yukino gestured towards it. She picked it up and gently swirled the murky liquid inside.

"What's this?"

"This is Fujino-san's leftover tea. Maybe there is something in it that might be of interest to us," Yukino explained.

She took in a deep breath. "I'm not convinced. You're right. I don't think Fujino-san would sit and let her family crumble all around her. She is trying to let us in on something."

"You mean the Sapporo in two weeks nonsense?"

Yukino nodded. "Something will happen there in two weeks, Haruka-chan. We need to figure it out and see what's going on there that needs a warning attached to it."

"Do you think Marguerite is trying to drug her with this tea?" Haruka questioned.

"I intend to find out," Yukino echoed.

Haruka frowned and regarded the container once more. She handed it back to Yukino and folded her hands behind her back as she marched over towards the French doors that led out to the main corridor of the mansion. Yukino followed her friend towards the east wing of the mansion that housed Haruka's bedroom and a smaller room across the hall that belonged to her. The latter was the one they walked into. The room was faintly illuminated by a trio of flat screen monitors and the blue glow of the main PC tower. Already the main computer was running through a full-scale search over any vulnerability it could exploit but so far it had been rewarded with nothing for its efforts. Haruka flipped on the light switch and Yukino set the container down beside her keyboard.

"Now," she announced in a soft but firm tone, "Now, we're fully involved."

Haruka nodded and said something about grabbing an early dinner before walking out of the room. Yukino sat down on her computer chair and tapped her fingers against the container.

_The connection… is stronger when I'm not under._

Yukino paused and rewound her photographic memory for a moment while opening a word processing program. She recalled Shizuru's lips moving but no sound coming out when Haruka tried to coax another response out of her. She closed her eyes to capture the memory in a quick snapshot as her fingers blindly found the keyboard. Three syllables.

_Na-Tsu-Ki_

Yukino stared at the characters on her screen and took off her glasses.

_The connection with Natsuki is stronger when I'm not under._

She wiped them with a spare glass cloth and put them back on before she resumed a furious string of typing that stopped for nothing. Soon dozens of windows flew to the screen and the other monitors blipped to life as she incorporated the secondary computer into her new strings of searches. If there was anything the Fujino family owned up in Sapporo, Yukino would find it. If a Kuga Natsuki appeared as well, it would be all the better.

The pieces were all there, she reasoned, apart from one or two. When those were found, the puzzle would finally put itself together.

* * *

Have a great weekend. I may be around if I find time to polish the next installment.

:)


	6. Vanishing Point

Well hello again. Sorry for the weird lapse in updates; some strange things came up and with the Olympics I found myself getting distracted. Therefore I decided to post this now to get some sort of schedule going.

Mai-hime and related items belong to Sunrise

* * *

**Vanishing Point**

The next set of orders reached Natsuki through the mail box attached to her apartment door. She picked it up that evening and undid the tape holding the manila envelope closed. Inside that envelope was a slim white envelope that contained the salary of the previous job. This she locked in a small box under her bed before returning to the padded envelope. She felt around it with her fingertips and frowned before getting out a penknife. With a few careful cuts the envelope's brown paper was cut apart to reveal a hidden set of papers. She extracted them and carefully undid the folds before smoothing them out.

_Look outside._

She moved towards the veranda. As she stood against the wall leading up to it she tilted her head and peered through the crack between the drawn curtains and the window. Outside she picked out a black car idling near the complex. Her lips curled up into a sneer.

"That idiot."

A few minutes later she emerged out of her apartment dressed in another black suit with a burgundy shirt and gray overcoat. She quickly made her way out towards the car and slipped into the heated interior.

"Good evening. Eiji, you may pull out now."

The car began to move and Natsuki saw the scenery pass by through tinted windows. With a small sigh she turned and regarded the man sitting beside her.

"That was a dumb thing to do, Yamada."

The broker shrugged in his wrinkled attire. His style had changed little throughout the years that Natsuki used his services. The same ratty hat was pulled over his head and tired eyes peered over the tinted lenses of his glasses as he regarded her.

"Would you rather I knock on your door under the pretense of selling something?" he asked.

"It'd fit more than telling me to get into strange cars every other week," Natsuki scoffed as she crossed her arms. "Where did you get this one from? Looks like a company car."

"Ah. This was a gracious gift from the Fujino Corporation."

Natsuki tensed but remained quiet. Yamada observed the taciturn girl with a small smile before leaning back against the headrest.

"It's strange how I was hired by you to figure out what happened with the family, and now they've hired me to figure out what happened as well. Seems like you were on something big, Kuga."

"What do you mean?"

Yamada sighed. The snow was really beginning to pile up. They could hear the crunch of snow underneath the car's tires as the driver took them down one of the larger streets of the city.

"Fujino Shigeru is missing. He has been for a while now, but the company is showing its vulnerability now that the big boss has been missing for so long. The rest of the family has gone frantic. The only ones capable to lead are some old uncles that have retired from the business world years ago. They aren't sure what happened, but they're willing to pay hand over fist for me to tell them that it isn't some sort of fluke."

Natsuki clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth in a gesture of impatience.

"What are the odds that the Fujino themselves are the ones locking him up somewhere?"

"… Pretty high, actually." Yamada pushed his glasses up. "Records indicated that Shigeru was visiting his daughter in the hospital before his disappearance. There was also some news about a crash but that was given maybe an hour's worth of airtime before it got pulled."

"What do you think of it?" Natsuki asked after a moment.

"Not sure, really. But something's telling me that it's related to the accident you suffered back at Fuuka... And your condition."

There was a brief silence. Yamada looked over and saw that her fingers were digging into her arms. He quietly signaled the car to stop. It idled in front of a coffee shop and he opened the window a bit to let in some fresh air.

"This is your best chance to figure out what happened, Kuga. If you find Shigeru, I'm sure you'll find your Shizuru and the real cause of the accident."

"… How much will this cost you?" Natsuki asked while staring out the tinted windows.

"Eh. Not too much. The Fujinos are paying more than enough to keep me afloat for a few months." He looked out towards the coffee shop. "… Two coffees and a box of doughnuts would be nice, though."

A few minutes later Natsuki returned to the car with the requested items in tow. The sweet smell of the pastries filled the air as Yamada tore through one of the donuts with a satisfied grunt. The driver was given a doughnut and one of the coffees before the car began to go back to the apartments.

"Just remember one thing."

Natsuki paused before she could open the car door once more.

"What's that?"

"The Fujino family has enough money and power to bury you in an unmarked grave in Siberia if they choose to do so. So don't get too caught up."

Yamada raised his Styrofoam cup in acknowledgment.

"I should get his location by tomorrow. If I find anything else I'll let you know. Thanks for the coffee and donuts, Kuga."

Natsuki nodded and nimbly hopped out into a cold blast of wind that caused Yamada to squint before the door shut behind her. He watched her walk away without a comment before returning to his box of donuts.

The next morning a lone manila envelope occupied the space of her mailbox. It was soon dug up and tossed on the kitchen counter. Natsuki decided to ignore it for now in favor of breakfast. She grabbed the box of cereal and dumped a fair amount of flakes into a blue bowl before rummaging through the refrigerator for the carton of milk. After a preliminary sniff she deemed the milk as acceptable and poured a considerable amount in the bowl. She slid onto the couch, turned on the TV, and munched on her cornflakes.

"_And now in the midst of the growing controversy over the Fujino conglomerate, an ambitious newcomer to the business world is fully intent on taking the company back on track to recover from a devastating second quarter loss…"_

A cornflake fell from her slack lips.

She slammed the bowl down and leaned forward. Frantically she searched the screen for some indication of crimson eyes.

"Damn it, move!" she hissed at the young woman with green hair who was currently holding some sort of televised conference.

The news shifted to other headlines and she uttered a curse under her breath. So much for that.

Natsuki finished her cornflakes and dumped the empty bowl into the sink. As she ran that under water for a few seconds the manila envelope was now picked up and examined. She opened it with a spare steak knife and dumped the contents of the envelope onto the counter. Out came a folded sheet of paper and what looked to be a set of airplane tickets. She picked the laminated tickets up first with a curious frown. She already had a train card, what on earth was a plane ticket for? After flipping them over she figured out why.

"… To Sapporo?"

Now she unfolded the note with great interest.

_To my little wolf,_

_Free Papa Bear, and I guarantee you'll run into Goldilocks. I hear he's too cold where he's at. Meet with Red Riding Hood in the arrival station._

_Yamada_

She smiled as she folded the paper and tucked it into her back pocket.

Finally.

One day later she stepped out into a flurry of thick snowflakes that covered everything in a layer of white. She stretched and looped the strap of her bag over her shoulder before trudging towards the exit of the airport. The train ride to Sapporo was relatively quiet and she took a short nap before arriving at the station. After a few minutes of uninterrupted walking she found someone's arm looped around her own. She turned her head slightly to her left. Instead of stopping she continued on with a crooked smile on her face as a girl with a rebellious shock of red hair and fierce green eyes walked in sync with her. For all intents and purposes they looked and functioned like a pair of close friends sharing body warmth but no one dared to get close enough to see the mild annoyance on the shorter of the two.

"What a waste of time… If I wasn't being given such a huge profit I would've booked the first flight south."

"Stop being so jerky," Natsuki muttered in response, causing the girl latched to her arm to stiffen even more.

"Shut up!" she hissed. "I'm just cold. Just cold."

"Mh. Alright."

Natsuki looked down and continued to smile in mild amusement.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" the girl asked through chattering teeth. "You're still as surly as ever, Kuga."

"Ah. And you still shoot your mouth off when you don't need to, Nao."

The girl latched to her arm stiffened once more and Natsuki bit back a grin.

Their walk took them to a rather ramshackle hotel near the station. The proprietor gave them a strange smile before giving up a single room for the two girls. To their supreme annoyance they discovered why—the red silk sheets and complementary chocolate box of the honeymoon suite beckoned. Little Red Riding Hood finally detached herself in order to check out the room while the wolf merely peered out of the balcony blinds. Nao grumbled and lounged on top of the honeymoon bed as Natsuki let go of the blinds with a dissatisfied frown. The older girl sat on the edge of the bed and nudged the bedside drawer open to retrieve the complementary matchbox. She shook the matchbox to get Nao's attention, who in turn got up from the bed and fished through her coat. After retrieving a crumpled pack of cigarettes the two walked out to the balcony.

"So," Natsuki said casually as she flicked a match across the side of the box. "Tell me about Sapporo."

"What's there to say?"

Nao leaned her head forward so the cigarette could catch the flame. After taking a drag she exhaled.

"It totally blows. I've spent way too much time running around north of here freezing my ass off and finding nothing. There's not much to see other than snow."

"Is that so?"

Nao tapped her cigarette free of ashes.

"Yeah. Not much at all. Unless, you know, you take a train up to Asahikawa." She paused to take another drag. "There's an abandoned pharmaceutical lab up there with a pretty extensive network of warehouses. Fujino Corp. owns a 51-percent share of the enterprise. If there's a building you'd want to look at, that'd probably be it."

Natsuki was familiar with the city. She watched the tendrils of smoke disappear into the gray skies before she took in another breath.

"Found anyone else wandering around up there?" she asked finally.

"Only enough gun-toting foreign maniacs to make me want to get the hell out. Damn place has enough firepower to take out a small army. Fortunately they're as dumb as they are trigger happy."

Nao clapped her hands together before rubbing them to restore some warmth.

"It might be too cold for the outside fuse box to work properly, but you might not want to take fence cutters anyways just in case."

Nao finished her cigarette and exhaled slowly. With pursed lips she looked up at Natsuki.

"You realize, Kuga, that there's no more going back to your comfortable existence back at Tokyo after this. You might run into something you won't like too much."

Natsuki took in the warning tones and paused before shaking her head.

"The ends will justify the means."

A deliciously mischievous smile curled on Nao's lips.

"How cliché. You don't sound too sure of yourself."

Natsuki turned and walked back into the room to pick up her coat. She shrugged it on and fixed the collar before turning back to look at Nao. The younger girl leaned back against the balcony's railing with another cigarette poised on her lips.

"Don't die now, you hear?" The cigarette bobbed up and down when Nao grinned. "After all, your performance influences my paycheck."

"… I'll keep that in mind."

The train ride was relatively quiet and provided an opportunity for a short nap and a snack. Natsuki stepped out into blizzard-like conditions but the snow wasn't a detriment. She buttoned her coat and began to walk. The roads were familiar and unchanged from the last time she walked them. The distance was quite a bit shorter than she remembered before realizing that it had been years since the last time—she had been smaller then.

The facility was virtually unchanged. It sat near a vast river that diverged into several rivers that cut through the land, creating a rocky impasse that could only be reached through a singular road that fed directly into the lab's front gates. The gates were manned by a team of four guards but Natsuki wasn't paying any attention to that. From her vantage point up in the heavily-forested barrier around the facility she could see an easier way in through a patch of broken fence. She jumped and slid from the hillside down to the edge of the fence. After a few quick looks she snuck into the facility.

Despite the strange influx of men running around what should have been an abandoned area she discovered that most of the men avoided the main laboratory. She ducked into this building and ran down a flight of crumbling stairs before pausing. With a shake of her head she refocused and ran down the empty hallway before stopping in front of a familiar door.

_S. KUGA_

The door opened with a small protest after being subjected to a soft push. The room was largely empty save for a destroyed desk and file cabinet. Gloved fingers brushed against the mess, scattering papers that had collected an impressive layer of dust over the years. She covered her nose with a handkerchief when a large cloud of dust imploded in the room after poking through the desk drawers. When it settled she recovered an orange prescription bottle filled with small white pills. She stared at the pills as they bounced off the plastic.

_Are you a human underneath a wolf? Are you a wolf underneath a human? _

She pocketed the pills while rubbing her forehead. A final sweep around the room revealed nothing else of interest. The papers were unimportant. The history was all in her head, after all. As the top field researcher employed by First District, Kuga Saeko spearheaded the movement on splicing genes and creating hybrids. While most of the studies were done on creating more efficient crops there were a few backdoors experiments concerning wildlife and humans. It was a race to discover the pinnacle of evolution and realize the glories of the past.

"I wonder how much you agonized over all of this, mother," she muttered in the stillness.

The detour led to another set of doors in the basement that led further into the complex. Upon shoving the doors open a fierce blast of cold air nearly knocked her back. She steadied herself and carefully made her way out to the tundra-like inner grounds of the abandoned laboratory.

This was a frozen hell contained in the confines of one vast, windowless space. There was just something diabolical about this particular room even in the past when it had been fully furnished and lit. Now she stepped through ruins of what once was an area set up for the direct observation of successful test subjects. She had been in this room only once in her childhood but it was enough to guess at the intent behind the sterilized glass and steel.

_They wanted to control gods. The afflicted only wanted a cure._

The search for beasts transmuted beneath human skin was extensive and necessary to bolster the First District's study on hybridization. Likewise those who did not understand what was lurking underneath them submitted themselves for the studies in exchange for some promise of normalcy. The trade seemed equal enough: research in exchange for a cure. They were gods in their own right, and yet they were chained in this laboratory to be subjected to tests and a hopeful cure for their affliction. It came as a pleasant surprise, then, when the laboratory's premier researcher had a child with the affliction present. When the glaring fact could not be hidden anymore, Dr. Kuga packed their bags and returned to Fuuka with her daughter and their dog. Their freedom was short-lived.

Natsuki barely suppressed a shiver that crawled out from the back of her brain as an unsteady glow began to seep through her good eye. The wolf underneath seethed from within its human prison but it stopped reluctantly when she patted her coat pocket. The jangle of pills served as a quiet warning that seemed to work for now.

"I have a job to do," she reminded herself roughly.

The past was trampled beneath her feet and clouds of dust swirled around her steps as she walked out of the frozen hell. The first thing to alert her to something going awry was the sound of footsteps pounding around when she entered an otherwise abandoned warehouse. She frowned and brought herself flush against the wall before peeking around through the opened doors. It was way too cold to be running around like that, she thought with an annoyed grimace. These numbskulls were probably the "gun-toting maniacs" that Nao had referred to. With that thought in mind she suddenly grinned. This, in turn, must be the jackpot.

She reached into her pocket and tossed several black balls out into the warehouse. They smacked into the floors and walls, releasing a thick smoke that engulfed the immediate entrance. Hasty gunshots ricocheted off their targets as Natsuki ducked behind several packing crates. More gunshots flew past her head and she squeezed herself into her impromptu shelter with her arms shielding her head. She looked up after a lull in gunshots signified a reload break.

With a deep breath she darted out from her hiding spot and charged the first armed man, catching him in the stomach with her shoulder and slamming him into a haphazard formation of crates. As the wood splintered and the crates clattered onto the floor they struggled for the dropped firearm. He retaliated with a punch to her shoulder that loosened her grip on him just as two of her fingers touched the black steel of the gun. He fitted a foot over her abdomen and shoved her off with a push but as she flew back she brought his gun up and leveled it towards his surprised face. Just as he shut his eyes she shifted her aim and emptied one bullet into his kneecap.

The others were alerted to the agonizing screams of their comrade just as Natsuki hit another stack of crates with her upper back. This fall she managed to turn into a backwards roll over the crate and back to the floor just in time to avoid being spotted by two more hired gunmen. She hunkered down and waited. If she was to get out of this situation unscratched, she reasoned, she would have to be extremely careful.

During the slight period of confusion where the gunmen tried to assess the damage done to their teammate Natsuki chanced a glance up from her hiding point. She couldn't waste anymore time. She shifted her weight and darted to the side, skimming the wall briefly with her fingers. The sentry by the basement door was unable to let out a peep as she clamped onto his face with her other hand. With a forceful shove he slammed into the wall and slid down while she carefully flipped over the basement entryway.

The sounds of a struggle alerted her to take the left hallway and she bolted down the lit corridor. She ducked just in time to avoid being planted to the floor by an airborne, flailing man who soon met his own date with the unforgiving concrete. Her run slowed to a jog before finally coming to a confused stop.

"What the hell…?"

Before her stood a man dressed in a rumpled and torn three-piece Italian suit complete with a silk pocket square. His hair was in wild waves that fell over his eyes but did not hide the pensive frown set on his lips. The jacket of the suit was slung over an upturned chair and his cuff links jangled in his pockets as he brought his fists up in a classic boxer's pose.

"Alright… let's go."

The polite Kyoto accent belied the explosive power within the man as he side-stepped to avoid the initial punch thrown by his first assailant. The attacker lurched forward with a pained grunt from the boxer's fist digging into his stomach. The man nearly lifted him up with his fist before shoving him off. Another decided to go for a back approach and jumped him, latching his arms around his neck in a messy attempt of a headlock. The boxer grasped onto the back of the man's shirt before throwing him over his shoulder. This was followed through with another heavy punch to the gut. The boxer breathed in deeply. As he looked up he picked up the sight of narrowed emerald eyes and dark hair.

"… Fujino Shigeru?"

He stood and rubbed his bare knuckles before pushing his unruly bangs back. If there was any indication of surprise from viewing the striking crimson eyes Natsuki failed to show it. Instead her lips parted questioningly as the man before her picked up his jacket and put it back on with a few practiced flicks to straighten out some wrinkles. He squinted under the harsh light of the overhead fluorescent beams.

"I am. Who are you, miss?"

"I was hired to rescue you."

He jabbed a thumb towards the ceiling. "Was that you with the commotion up there?"

In response he was shown the gun in her hand. He smiled a painfully familiar smile that shone through the beginnings of a scruffy beard.

"Well then. I'd be much obliged if you help me out of this mess."

* * *

AN: To be honest it seems like the outline is getting more and more muddled. But the story should be nearing the end of the "question" section and the beginning of our "answer" session.


	7. Sublimation

Hello, and thank you for your continued reviews.

Mai-hime and related belong to Sunrise.

* * *

**Sublimation**

"What?!"

The two men dressed in business suits visibly jumped when they heard Tomoe Marguerite's fist slam into the executive desk. She glared at them wildly and they stiffened as those cold gray eyes locked onto them. The soundless pleas of leniency were directed to the taciturn foreigner standing behind Tomoe but they were largely ignored.

"What the hell do you mean, he escaped?" she demanded in a shrill yell.

The braver of the two coughed and adjusted his glasses.

"We are merely conveying what the Hokkaido office is telling us. They told us that approximately four hours ago Fujino Shigeru wrestled off his guards and managed to fight his way out of the facility."

Another slam, this time with both open palms. Tomoe gripped the edges of the desk and looked up at the two men.

"What the _fuck_ do I pay you for?" she snarled. "Get your men ready and find that son of a bitch before he ruins everything!"

"… Ma'am? You are dealing with the leader of the Fujino family… your uncle, ma'am."

It did not matter which one of the two spoke. One of the men lurched forward as her hand closed around his tie. With a great yank his head slammed into the edge of the desk. The sickening crack of his glasses smashing into his skull was followed by his body slumping forward as his colleague looked on wordlessly.

"Do not remind me… of that unfortunate fact."

She cocked her head over towards the lone man who stared back at her with an incredulous expression. Her lips twisted into a saccharine smile as she folded her hands on the desk in a placating measure.

"Do I make myself clear, hm? I want you to find him and drag him back into that warehouse." In a split second her gaze darkened. "If that bastard resists you can shoot him down."

The man stammered out a response and practically flew out of the office. She stared at the mess on her carpet before rubbing the bridge of her nose and turning around to acknowledge the blond-haired man beside her.

"… Clean up this mess, I'm going to go take a break."

He inclined his head slightly before pushing his glasses up over his cold blue eyes.

"You may have overdone it, Miss Marguerite."

Her lips curled once more into an ugly frown.

"What the hell do you care, Smith? You're under my payroll."

Tomoe gave a dismissive wave. She stepped over the bleeding mess and made her way out to one of the many balconies of the area office at Fuuka. She leaned over and fished for a pack of cigarettes and a silver lighter in her coat pocket. With a few practiced flicks the lighter produced a steady blue flame that she directed over to the cigarette perched on her lips. The initial rush of nicotine made her sigh out a lengthy cloud of smoke. She rubbed her forehead in agitation.

_Mother never said it would be THIS hard._

Her instructions had been magnificently simple. She would dispose of the current head of the Fujino family, incapacitate the heiress, and reap in their profits as her own. The most suitable revenge, her mother mentioned, would be one that strikes at the core of the family. It was very hard work, much harder than she had expected. Now the initial rush of being able to run around and do whatever she pleased under the Fujino name was fading. She found herself itching to reap the final profits of her ventures and just get it over with.

There was a good incentive to keep going. She never knew her cousin would grow up to be _that_ beautiful. She licked her lips before drawing another breath through the cigarette. Sure, she had her childhood crushes over the various attractive people that the interconnected families of Kazahana, Homura, and Fujino sired. Her generation seemed to lack some of that perfection. Mashiro and Nagi were creepy children. No, Tomoe mused after taking another drag, Shizuru was it as far as she was concerned.

There was something deliciously tragic about the Fujino family and Shizuru was not an exception. She had been born into extreme wealth and history that dated back over a thousand years. She was trained in the family's own branch of martial arts and mastered the art of naginata in her formative years. She inherited the trademark maple-red eyes and received even more visual enhancement through the timeless beauty of her mother. Despite all of this, those enticing lips were always drawn into a polite smile that never quite reached the exotic eyes. The girl who had everything was searching for something. There was no other way to describe the quiet earnestness behind those blood-dipped eyes.

The accident was just the catalyst she needed to begin the plan her mother had planned for years. She dug herself into her uncle's life and very nearly ended it with a high-speed crash to Fuuka's seas. The fact that he was in such a hurry to get on with his own plans only exacerbated his downfall. She locked the leader of the family in a warehouse in Hokkaido to keep him away from the public eye and from Shizuru herself. The drugs were not very original, she knew that, but there was only so much someone could be inventive over before it became less effective. After disposing of Shigeru and tossing Shizuru aside, her mother would have full reign over the company as the most direct link to the main family. Tomoe would then be the heiress. Her plans were almost complete.

She very nearly bit down on the filtered end of the cigarette as she thought of it. Almost complete. Now it was in danger of complete failure.

"Ma'am?"

"What is it," she growled without bothering to turn around.

"Shizuru-ojou-sama has a visitor."

Now Tomoe turned around. She threw a suspicious look towards an expressionless maid dressed in a plain blue kimono.

"If it's that gorilla Suzushiro or her walking set of glasses you can show them to the door."

"The visitor introduced himself as Kanzaki Reito."

"Kanzaki? …Never heard of him." Tomoe relaxed against the railing. "What is his business?"

"He merely wishes to catch up with an old friend, he says. Kanzaki-sama was Vice President of the Student Council when Shizuru-ojou-sama was President."

Tomoe checked her watch and noted that it was close to midnight.

"Are you sure he can't come by tomorrow?"

The maid shook her head.

"He says that this is most urgent, as he is due to leave for Tokyo in the morning."

"… Fine, show him in. Remember that Shizuru-sama needs her medication."

The maid bowed and left Tomoe, who in turn returned to her cigarette. She ground the stub out on the railing and lit another. Halfway through the smoke she suddenly flicked the cigarette over the ledge and walked back to her office. The body was now gone and replaced by a cleaning crew. The foreigner glanced at her as she pulled up the computer keyboard.

"Have you heard of the name Kanzaki?" she asked musingly as the screen shuddered to life.

"… Rather powerful family if memory serves correctly," Smith noted. "I wouldn't want to get on their bad side."

She paused in the middle of her typing before turning to regard the man. To his credit Smith stood his ground albeit with a hint of a simpering smile. Tomoe shot him a suspicious look but returned to her typing, whereupon he adjusted his glasses and simply let her have her way. There was really no way or reason to stop a headlong crash.

Meanwhile in the lobby Kanzaki Reito looked up from his position on a plush couch and stood up. The maid bowed and he returned it with a bow of his own along with a charming smile.

"Please follow me, Kanzaki-sama."

The elevator ride was in complete silence before the contraption informed them with a soft chime that they had reached the 30th floor. They stepped out into plush carpeting and soft lights that provided a hazy sense of comfort to Reito.

"These are the private quarters of the heads of the families," the maid announced. "Shizuru-ojou-sama should be awake at this time."

"I don't mean to be of any trouble," Reito replied.

The maid shook her head.

"Ojou-sama would do well to have visitors aside from her cousin."

"Cousin?" Reito asked quietly. "But the other two families are not in Fuuka at the moment."

The maid nodded.

"Correct. But I am talking about her first-cousin, Tomoe-sama."

The maid seemed to be wrestling with something as they reached the door but in the end returned to her relatively calm state. She withdrew a small medicine case from her sleeve and presented it to Reito.

"Would you be so kind as to give her the medication for tonight, Kanzaki-sama?"

Reito took the pill case and nodded his agreement. The maid knocked twice before entering. Reito stepped in after the maid and was pleasantly surprised by the simple furnishings of the room. Undeniably it was a cozy place, even more so than the building in which it was contained. The room was divided by walls that denoted a bedroom, bathroom, a small kitchen and a vast sitting room combined with an office. The maid bowed before leaving the two behind. Reito walked through the plush carpet of the room and finally came to a stop in front of Shizuru's desk. The heiress was sitting there now with a cup of tea and a stack of papers next to her. Her clothing consisted of a long dress and a turtleneck sweater. Despite the plainness of the attire she looked even more poised.

She looked up and lowered her reading glasses before registering the man before her. The man stood tall and straight with tousled black hair. Several of the more stubborn locks fell over his forehead and towards eyes of a peculiar golden shade. He was dressed smartly in a well-fitting black suit with a black shirt and gray tie. A bulky overcoat the same shade as his tie was tucked under his arms. His eyes spoke of a teasing warmth, of days spent idly drinking tea and relaxing from a hectic world filled with the outrageous shouts of a tyrannical Executive Director.

"Ara, Reito-han. It's been a long time," she murmured with a small smile.

Reito nodded.

"It has been a long time, Shizuru-san."

She waved him towards a seat and he complied, sinking into the leather with a quiet sigh. She tucked the packet of papers into a neat pile before setting them aside.

"Shall I ring for tea?"

"No, thank you. I am not staying for very long."

Shizuru frowned. "It won't be any bother."

"Ah, it's fine. I had some tea before coming here, after all." Reito straightened from the comfortable chair and regarded his colleague. "You seem much better than when I saw you last."

"I have been treated well," Shizuru replied agreeably. "The doctors say I will make a full recovery in a few days."

"That is a relief. Congratulations on your recovery, Shizuru-san."

The conversation lapsed into a comfortable silence as Reito stared out at the impressive floor-to-ceiling windows behind Shizuru. The view was absolutely breathtaking. Snow fluttered down to a sleepy cityscape below. Even the mountainside was in view from this vantage point and Reito found the Suzushiro construction logo over Fuuka Gakuen.

"I heard that you visited Suzushiro-san and Yukino-chan nearly a week ago," Reito remarked.

"… Ara. It was regretfully cut short due to a company meeting with the school."

He shifted his glance so that he was focused on the outside view.

"I heard that Suzushiro-san was about to pick a fight," he replied.

"Well… I suppose Tomoe-han was not helping," Shizuru noted with a soft sigh.

"Tomoe?" Reito echoed.

Shizuru smiled grimly and stood. She gathered her hair up into a loose bun that she clipped into place with a silver clip in the shape of a stylized wing before she returned to the world through the windows. Reito joined her and he merely folded his hands behind his back as he stared at the landscape.

"My cousin. Tomoe Marguerite is a rather… volatile individual. At least, that was what I thought of her while growing up. All I saw from her was an overwhelming bitterness towards the rest of the family, which I suppose was a product of her mother."

Shizuru closed her eyes. Something screamed at Reito to do something. He tensed and his brain threw up warning signs everywhere. This was not a safe place to be. They were in danger. Shizuru looked up at him and he swallowed, wondering if his thoughts had been caught. Reito broke the eye contact reluctantly to return to the landscape even as he felt her eyes still on him. She seemed to be searching for something before he spoke once more.

"I would imagine that your father's disappearance is frustrating in the least," Reito said. "From what I hear it seems the conglomerate is going to steady itself through your cousin."

"I harbor no such illusions. It's all an act," Shizuru replied quietly.

"Why do you not leave, then?" Reito asked.

Shizuru remained silent for a moment and looked out towards the ebony sky. For once it did not contain the heavy gray of clouds brimming with wet snow. A hazy moon peeked through with its reflected light down to the world. She heaved a sigh and turned to face Reito. He took in her weary eyes and frowned sadly.

"I have to uphold my family name right now, and the only way I can find at the moment to do so is to watch my cousin and bide my time. There is little to be accomplished by running around blindly."

_Trapped like a bird in a cage._

Reito could see that something clearly agitated her. She clenched her jaw once.

"The medication."

Reito blinked at the sudden sharpness of her tone. When he reached into his pocket for the tin she shook her head roughly.

"Keep it." She flinched but managed to make it back to her chair before collapsing on it. "I'm lucid without it. But come here, please."

Reito knelt down beside her and craned his head closer.

"From the amount of noise I've been hearing it seems that something big has happened. I will remain hopeful that this news will turn out well for us in the end." She took in a shaky breath. "You aren't safe here with me."

No matter how he looked at the situation he knew she was right. If he stayed there would be no telling what would happen to him. Against his better judgment he picked up his coat and tin before bolting from the room. Reito nearly ran into the maid who had escorted him to the room, but contrary to his initial panic over the workers the maid simply grabbed his wrist and directed him towards another elevator. She slipped something in his hand and shoved him into the open elevator. As the doors closed he could hear the other elevator chime in along with the enraged shouts of a woman. He played it safe by slamming the button for the tenth floor and taking the stairs the rest of the way down. He kicked his way into the fire exit and quickly stumbled down the steps with his hands on the rails to help vault him over five steps at a time. Taking the fire exit had conveniently led him to the back exit of the hotel.

Snow crunched beneath his shoes as he registered his surroundings. He was not very far from Fuuka's downtown district. It was too far to walk to the Suzushiro mansion… but not too far to a familiar place. His mind began to race as he broke into quick strides towards the streets leading to downtown. If he could blend in with his surroundings well enough he would be able to avoid any sort of capture. After all, he mused, this Tomoe had not seen him during his arrival and as such would have no way of finding him without running a background check. He looked down at his hand and registered the gleaming black steel of an expandable steel baton.

"I suppose I am going to be followed by some interesting individuals," he mused as he wedged the baton in his belt.

Numerous footsteps echoed around him as he quietly made his way through the snow. He stopped and took in a deep breath as his hand curled under his coat. He turned at the exact moment he heard something swing towards him.

The cold metal of a knife clanged against the steel baton he held in his hand. Reito planted his feet and overpowered the assailant with an almighty push. The force of his swing caused the man to fall onto his shoulder and the knife to fall out of his grip. He whipped the butt of his weapon across the man's left temple and the assailant fell back. The snow swirled around Reito as he stood. There were two more individuals armed with similar knives in the distance. With a short puff of breath he whirled around and took off with the men soon following after him.

His instincts directed his feet towards the alleys while his mind raced through several plans of escape. He could not draw them out into the open. He was lucky with the first assailant and luck usually did not transfer after the first shot. His best chance would to be fight in a narrow alleyway where his opponents would be forced to come at him one at a time. The alleyway was thin enough—he could touch both sides with the tips of his fingers if he stretched his arms out. His pursuers did not look very nimble. He turned and whipped the baton out in plain view as the men finally caught up to him. He only hoped that would be the only two sent after him. Bringing thugs along with him as he went to his haven was not a very polite thing to do after all.

The first man was just as hasty as his initial attacker. Reito sidestepped the swipe intended for his midsection and pivoted on the ball of his foot. He ended with his back flush against the shoulder of the man's attacking arm. A heavy elbow to the gut caused the man to lurch to the side in surprise which freed his neck for a swing. Reito kicked the downed body over to make sure he was out.

The second man was not about to play by the rules. Reito jumped away in time to avoid his face being sliced into ribbons but could not avoid one swipe to his cheek. He flinched and backed way several steps as his palm flew to his face. It stung terribly but was not deep enough for worry. The man came at him again, this time for a slice towards his chest. He jumped back and touched the wall. The man noticed this and darted towards him with every intention to skewer him. Reito grit his teeth and shoved himself off of the wall, taking the man by surprise by locking his arm out of the way and shoving him into the opposite wall. He kneed him in the stomach and viciously whipped the baton over the back of his shoulders before slamming his knuckles across the man's face. As the man slid down against the wall with a heavy groan and a broken jaw, Reito backed away from the prone body and struggled to recollect himself. The implications of his actions evaded him as he blindly tore away from the two men he had just pummeled to the ground.

_Self-defense, that's all there is to it. Just self-defense._

The doors to the _Edelweiss_ café slammed open and Reito rushed in to the rather comical sight of Mai gaping at him with a pot of ramen in her oven-mitted hands. Mikoto was also gaping at him at her position at one of the café's tables with chopsticks poised in her hand.

"A-Aniue!!"

Mikoto jumped from the table and scampered over towards Reito who slammed the doors shut and locked them.

"Cut the lights, Mikoto!" he ordered in a sharp voice.

Mikoto turned and swiped her hand down across the light switch near the register. The café was blanketed in complete darkness save for the faint illumination from the street lights.

"Upstairs, now."

Mai—still carrying the steaming pot—and Mikoto followed Reito's instructions silently as he ushered them up the stairs to the apartment above the café. It was only after he locked the door to that as well that he finally sighed and leaned against the door. Mikoto and Mai stared at him through the semi-darkness and he raised a finger to his lips as he made his way over towards the veranda of the apartment. Mikoto turned on a lamp while Mai settled the pot on top of a pot warmer on the _kotatsu_. The younger girl stared at the pot but maintained her admirably quiet vigil near the lamp until her brother finally nodded his head. Mikoto then went to the kitchen, extracting three bowls and pouring out a glass of water for each while Mai studied Reito for a terse moment.

"Reito-san, your face…"

Reito looked at the dried blood beneath his fingernails.

"It's only a slight cut, Mai-san. I will be alright."

Mikoto gave her brother a keen glance when she went to the ramen pot to dole out the portions for the late-night snack.

"Did you run into trouble with Kaichou?"

"Not with her," Reito replied as he accepted a wet washcloth from Mai. He began to rub his cheek. "But I am afraid that we will not be welcomed back by her family anytime soon."

"Were you at least able to speak with her?" Mai questioned while bringing a first-aid kit over to him.

"I did." He paused when Mai dabbed at the cut with a rubbing alcohol-soaked cotton ball. "She was probably the one who allowed me to come out of the situation relatively intact."

"What did you get out of it?" Mikoto asked before delving into her snack.

"From what I gather… it would be best to extricate ourselves from this situation."

Mai digested this statement as she placed ointment and a bandage over Reito's cut. He thanked her with a nod and walked over to join his sister who merely shoved him a bowl of ramen. His stomach gurgled in response—he had forgotten just how hungry a fight had made him. He picked up the chopsticks but paused before diving in.

"While Shizuru-san knows that she is not in an ideal position I am guessing she is waiting for something... or rather someone." He watched Mikoto polish off her first helping and dig into a second. "I am pretty certain she waits for news of her father."

"So… she hasn't heard from him either," Mai mumbled in disappointment. "Or from Natsuki."

"I'm afraid not. She made no indication of it, at least."

He paused but ultimately decided to leave the last few minutes of his meeting unsaid. His break was finished when he put his chopsticks down and heaved a great sigh. The clock to his left chimed the hour and he frowned.

"As much as I would like to stay, I am afraid I will have some pursuers on my back. The sooner I leave Fuuka the better." He shifted and turned his gaze towards Mai. "I am sorry I have not been of more help."

"It's fine, Reito-san. Just agreeing to talk to her was more than enough. By what Yukino-chan explained it seemed as if Shizuru-san was drugged up or something."

Reito frowned as he walked over to his coat. After some shuffling he retrieved a pill case. This he popped open and a white pill nearly jumped out due to the force. He stared at the pill as he tapped it onto his palm.

"What is it?" Mikoto called from the table.

"I'm not sure," Reito murmured. "I was told to give this to Shizuru-san by her maid but she refused to take it."

He returned the pill to the case and handed it over to Mai.

"Perhaps Yukino-chan will find something useful from this pill," Reito said with a small frown. "If she finds anything please let me know."

He gathered his coat and put it on. After a few seconds of deliberation he left the baton in the apartment. He ruffled Mikoto's hair and was rewarded with a half-hearted complaint but a warm smile which he mirrored. Mai offered him a smile as well and he found his mood growing lighter at the sight of it.

"Well, I am off."

"Be careful, Reito-san."

"If something needs to be beaten up just let me know, Aniue!"

Mai turned over to the younger girl and the two began to squabble over the use of violence. Reito shrugged and chuckled before turning towards the door. The cold stole his breath as he stepped out of the café and back into the streets of Fuuka. With an almighty shiver he drew his coat closer around himself as he began to walk down empty streets. He had a flight in two hours and the airport was quite a distance away. He hailed a cab and rattled off the destination which the driver obediently set a course for. While in the heated cab he paused and drew deeply into himself.

_She knows something is wrong but will not act until certain of her plan of attack. Admirable, but I am afraid she might be too late to react._

He frowned and viewed the snow-laden landscape with thoughtful eyes.

It wouldn't be long, now.

* * *

AN: I keep wondering how these chapters are getting longer but I'll roll with it, haha.

I feel like Tomoe would've made a very ambitious individual in business or politics. If, you know, she wasn't insane and beating on her subordinates. And that "Smith" is indeed John Smith.


	8. Atrophy

Good morning(?), and thanks for the reviews!

This was a little difficult to write, to be honest. Introspection is not one of my strong points.

Mai-hime belongs to Sunrise.

* * *

**Atrophy**

Before leaving the facility they had taken a set of replacement clothes along with a warm coat to avoid detection. Shigeru drew his coat around his body closer in an attempt to trap body heat. Within a few minutes of wandering after they left the train station at Sapporo they arrived at a rather ratty joint. He raised an eyebrow at first but when she brandished the cumbersome keys he shrugged and ducked into the back entrance. The room they stepped into was more of a technological warehouse than a hotel room. She stepped over the wires that crisscrossed the room and frowned.

"Yuuki, clean up after yourself," she barked while placing the keys on the bedside table.

"Hey, hey, don't mess up my configurations," an annoyed voice said through the bathroom door. "It took me hours to get a good signal in this dump."

The door opened and out stepped a nymph with red hair and fierce green eyes… and a towel. He let out a low whistle which earned him a glare from his rescuer and a look of surprise that quickly melted to coquettish amusement.

"So, who is this?" she cooed as she walked over towards him.

"_Not_ one of your clients."

Nearly identical shades of green locked on to one another as the redhead sneered at the older girl's general direction.

"Hey, just because you don't score any doesn't stop me from doing what I want!"

"Client?" Shigeru echoed musingly. His smile turned into a full-blown grin. "Did you hire an escort service to welcome me back to civilized society?"

She turned and sputtered as the redhead gave off an amused look.

"What?! No!"

His smile dropped and he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Oh." A sigh. "Well, it was a nice thought."

The towel-clad vixen merely smiled in response.

"And as much as I'd like to rob you senseless for an hour of my time, I'm afraid the party pooper over here won't recover from her next fit."

"This is a job, not a booty-call," the older girl stressed. "And put some clothes on. I need to head out to make sure no one's been following us."

"Fine, fine."

Shigeru rubbed his chin thoughtfully as the redhead gathered some clothes and disappeared into the bathroom once more. He heard the front door open and close once more. When the redhead reemerged she gave him a thoughtful look when he pulled the hood off of his head.

"… That bird's nest has to go," she announced before rummaging through the bathroom's drawers.

She returned with an electric razor with changeable cutting guides. With a wordless jerk of her chin he followed her back into the bathroom. After some maneuvering he decided to kneel over the tub as she plugged in the razor and fitted on one of the clips.

"So, you're Fujino Shigeru?" she asked nonchalantly over the drone of the razor.

"I am."

"Charming."

The razor ran a straight line from the base of his head down to the top. A clump of brown hair fell to the tub. She continued with only the monotonous drone of the razor to keep her company. By the time she turned off the razor to observe her handiwork a good mop of hair graced the tub. He briskly ran a hand across his shorn head before being handed a towel and a bar of soap.

"The name's Yuuki Nao, by the way."

"… Charmed."

The lights flickered on after he slid the door to the bathroom shut. Tired eyes stared at the tiny mirror above the sink. He shrugged off the coat and suit jacket before unbuttoning his vest and shirt and laying them aside. For a moment he absently rubbed his cheeks, feeling the unkempt beard that scratched against his fingertips. Inwardly he bemoaned his condition. He had never gone unshaven in his entire life save for an experimental period with a moustache. His mother had laughed so hard at it that he lopped it off within the next hour and that was the end of that particular grooming exercise. He fumbled around his coat pockets and flipped open a single-bladed razor.

"What a useful coat," he muttered to himself.

Indeed, the man he had snatched the coat from seemed to be ready for most situations. Upon a cursory look through the pockets he had found rations, a utility knife, and even a set of brass knuckles. On top of that it was warm, roomy, and rather well-made—a perfect coat. He would have to thank that man later.

_I suppose, if he wakes up._

A quick shuffle around the welcoming basket beside the sink gave him a tiny bar of soap along with a set of washcloths and a pair of scissors. The buzz cut looked just fine. He had been meaning to get a haircut for a while anyway. He neatly combed the frazzled locks of his beard and attacked it with the scissors before clearing away the pile of hair in the sink. He then filled the sink with hot water and lathered the soap over the short hairs of his beard. The razor from the coat was sharp and ran across his cheeks smoothly. After a few careful swipes he decided to leave a moustache and beard before trimming them down with the scissors again. After nearly an hour he dunked his head under a re-filled sink and toweled himself off.

A half hour after that Shigeru emerged from the hotel bathroom dressed in his borrowed clothes and carrying a towel around his neck. The sound of someone typing on a laptop paused for a second as the desk chair turned. Nao started for a second before sinking back into her chair.

"… It's scary how similar the two of you look," she muttered after a few seconds. "Must be the eyes."

"Eyes?" he echoed.

She shrugged but failed to respond. He rubbed the back of his neck at the awkward silence before taking a seat at the edge of the bed.

"… Is she still out?" he asked finally.

"Mh. Never really sleeps, that one," Nao replied in a detached manner as her fingertips tapped against keys.

"And you?"

"I had nothing else to do but sleep earlier while the two of you were out stomping around in that frozen hell hole, so I'm paying for it I guess."

Another pause.

"Well, this is a rather delicate situation."

Shigeru perked up at the sound of her voice. This time Nao turned fully so her back was facing the laptop. She tapped her chin with a pen before twirling the pen between her fingers. Whatever the news was, he could tell that it wasn't good.

"We'll be stuck here in Sapporo until either the airport advisory lifts or the tracks get de-iced overnight, but I kinda doubt that'll happen." She studied him with a frown. "So I guess that means we'll be spending more time with you than we would've liked."

He frowned. "It's a job thing, right, to be this detached."

"Yeah… a job thing."

She draped her arms over the chair's back and studied him for a moment.

"Tell me, Fujino-san… how'd you end up hanging out with a bunch of foreigners toting guns in an abandoned lab?"

"You mean you don't know that answer?" he asked.

"Indulge me," she replied.

"I guess… I had to be kept quiet."

He paused to gather his thoughts. Really, it had been a year. There should have been a clearer answer than that. Nao watched him intently but when he failed to continue she sighed and leaned her cheek against her hand.

"Honestly, I was expecting more."

_I agree._

She returned to her computer and Shigeru leaned back to fall onto the bed. The cheap sheets crinkled from a zealous overuse of starch, but it was a whole level up in comfort when compared to the cement floor he had been subjected to for the better part of a year. He closed his eyes and drifted off to the noise of keys being tapped and the gentle hum of the laptop next to his ear. Questions about who he was with and where they would go from there would come later.

In reality, Shigeru figured that he shouldn't have been so surprised at the identity of his rescuer.

Two days after the aesthetic overhaul reduced his wavy locks of hair into a stern buzz cut and replaced his tattered suit with casual clothes, he found himself wandering the streets of Sapporo with his taciturn rescuer leading the way. Sapporo was liquid nitrogen poured over permafrost but he wasn't one to complain. Instead he drew his borrowed jacket closer to himself and stamped his feet to restore circulation to avoid looking like a tin soldier. He looked up and caught an unreadable look from his rescuer before she flicked her dark hair over her shoulder.

_What an ice-cold beauty._

If she saw his amused smile she failed to acknowledge it. After a few minutes of what seemed to be aimless wandering around, he noticed that they stopped in front of a ramen shop. She ducked in under the curtains and he followed her to the bar seating where the cook was busy doling out portions to hungry customers.

"Two miso ramen," she announced to the cook who merely nodded.

Shigeru rubbed his hands as the warmth from the portable heater and the noise of the boisterous crowd washed over him. She leaned her chin on her hand in a relaxed pose, the first that he had seen from her. As they were given two glasses of water and a washcloth each, he decided that now was as good a time as any.

"You knew that facility very well. Well enough, in fact, to deduce that I would be in an underground cell instead of the laboratory."

She looked up. At first she remained quiet and returned to wiping her hands with the warm cloth. When she tossed the towel back on the counter she turned and fixed him with a serious look.

"It was a lucky guess."

His eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

"I don't quite believe that."

She shrugged wordlessly. Two bowls of steaming ramen were shoved in front of them by the cook and she refused to elaborate any further. The bowls were put away in record time, it seemed, and she tossed a few bills down before gathering her coat. Shigeru rubbed the back of his neck and ducked out of the shop after her. Instead of going straight back to the hotel, he found that they were picking a path out towards what seemed to be a park. She stopped in front of a park bench and without warning sat down on the cold wood. He stared at the frozen seat with some trepidation but decided to bear with it. There was a certain faraway look in her eye, the type that clued him in that something interesting was about to go down.

"I grew up there," she said finally, and the pieces begin to build in his mind.

"Your parents were employed there?"

They watched the beginnings of a snowball fight between two factions. One was holed up at the slide and the other parked their main barracks by the jungle gym. The shrieks of children filled the atmosphere in the absence of a reply as snowballs flew from one corner of the playground to the other. For a good five minutes he watched this game with a soft smile on his face and nearly forgot his question until the young woman beside him cleared her throat.

"My mother. She was the top researcher there."

"Ah. What did her work entail?"

Emerald eyes roved over onto his. It wasn't the first time that he was struck by the crystalline beauty of those eyes. The emotion behind them, however, spoke of a dulled acceptance and a hint of bitterness.

"You tell me, Fujino-san."

Now it was his turn to rest his chin on his hand. He stared out at the expanse of snow-covered land right down to the playground equipment. The snowball fight was abandoned in favor of gliding down the ice-covered slide. Children shrieked as they slid down only to tumble down into snow drifts with giddy laughs.

"I suppose you would like it if I tell you that I had no idea."

She shrugged again.

"The answer wouldn't affect me either way."

He placed his elbows over his knees and leaned over in this position overlooking the lively park. The cold wasn't such a nuisance this time.

"That's a lie."

He shook his head and continued before she could argue.

"My father bought a majority share and funded the laboratory in the hope of finding a cure."

"A cure?"

He offered a half-smile.

"My sister. She suffered from something that other doctors were unable to fix. Father thought it was epilepsy at first. Shakes, tremors. But then she would go off on fits of anger for days on end. First District Pharmaceutical took a huge interest in it and within a month of studying her they provided a set of pills. She took them, and got better."

She stuffed her hands in her pockets and let out a slow, steady cloud of steam from her lips as she exhaled. He rested his chin on his hand once more.

"We never liked each other, even before her condition. Things seemed to get worse as we grew older, especially after I got married. After that, Father took the situation into his own hands and kicked her out of the family, and that was the last dealing I had with that company."

He paused to rub his hands together.

"Come to think of it, I really don't know what that research was about in the first place."

"… They wanted to control gods."

Shigeru looked over.

"I'm sorry?"

She shook her head and straightened from her slouched position.

"That was the goal. The experiments tried to test how well a human could hybridize with a god, in order to create some sort of super race… something like that." She cleared her throat. "But to test it, they needed to gather a remnant of a spirit already transmuted in a human."

Shigeru shifted.

"Our family… always held a sort of communion with jealous spirits," he said with a ponderous frown. "Family history can tell you quite a few instances of almost legendary acts of passion born from that sort of jealousy. But… this is the first time I've heard of that sort of explanation for my sister's behavior. I always thought she was being a huge bitch."

"That was the purpose of the First District," she muttered in response. "Take whatever you want from it."

The children had long since left, called home for warm dinners and soft covers for the night. The cold was starting to return along with the frigid silence. He scratched his head with a frustrated twitch. This wasn't his expertise at all.

"Alright, that's enough."

She looked up at him quietly as he pushed himself up from his seat. He shifted so that his feet were doing a sort of skip. Warmth began to return to his limbs as he danced a semi-circle around the bench and even threw a few punches into the air. She watched his shadow-boxing for a few minutes before sighing.

"… What are you doing, Fujino-san?"

"Warming up, of course."

He paused and felt the blood coursing through his limbs. She gave him another unreadable look.

"You've got something bottled up in you," he elaborated with a left hook that swiped the air in front of him. "Sometimes the best way to get it out is to fight it out."

She took in his philosophy for all of two seconds before she shook her head.

"I'm not going to fight you, Fujino-san." She paused. "It probably would be against protocol to injure you."

"Injure me?" He let out a short bark of a laugh that nearly echoed in the park. "Injure me? I doubt you could."

She raised an eyebrow at that challenge and he smiled as she finally stood up and brushed the snow from her coat. She took only a few seconds to finish tidying up before he shifted into a boxing stance with both hands up to protect his face.

"Now c'mon! I promise I won't bruise you too much."

Her response was a straight left punch that almost got past his defense. He weaved out of its trajectory and brought his arms up to shoulder the blow of a roundhouse kick that flowed effortlessly in her impending combination.

She was, without a doubt, incredibly fast. Shigeru used his legs only for maneuvering. His fists were the ones that did the talking. Her blows seemed to chain off each other—a swing of a punch would easily shift into her spinning into a kick. It was a lot of momentum and turning movement that took full advantage of her otherwise slight figure compared to his muscular frame. He found himself on the defensive as he weaved in and out of her punches and backed away from the kicks. His jabs were only glancing blows that she merely pushed away with a gentle force that would be followed seconds later by a devastating counter attack. He skipped back half a step only to have her move forward like a wave.

_Back and forth, back and forth._

"How long have you lost your depth perception?" he asked over a barrage of blows.

She stiffened and nearly took the full force of a left hook that he threw towards her chin. She backed away in time and looked up at him with a curious expression on her face. He offered a brief shrug with his hands still up to protect his face.

"You're never more than two meters away," he pointed out with a quick jerk of his chin. "And you follow through with straight punches and sweeping kicks. Always following through. If you don't hit the target right then, you'll probably hit it later."

They traded a few blows for a moment.

"… A year ago, just about," she managed to say while catching her breath.

"Only a year? You seem to compensate for it well enough."

She flipped over onto her hands and shoved her foot up towards his chin. The kick blew past his guard and he felt the tip of her heel graze his chin before he yanked his head back. He saw the stars for a second before he regained his footing and his gaze traveled back down to earth. By this time she had already pushed herself back to her feet. There was something alive beneath her cold eyes and he relished the ferocity.

"A year ago, huh." His left fist pawed out to graze against her hand as she knocked it away. "How'd you lose it?"

"… Accident. Flipped my motorcycle over and landed head first into a guard rail. It ended my racing career, so I picked up on my other hobby."

Her punches were growing a little sloppier, he noticed. He caught her fist and they stood still as the snow finally settled from their fight. Her torso was still twisted from following through on her punch. Ragged breaths blew up clouds of steam that permeated the inky darkness.

"… A truant and a brawler," he said softly. "Your name is Kuga, isn't it?"

Silence invaded his ears and he wondered for a moment if he had been completely off the mark. Her strength grew slack and the fist in his hand nearly sagged.

"Kuga Natsuki. Yes, that is your name."

She pulled her hand away from his grip and rubbed her knuckles absently. He heaved in a great breath and expelled a dense cloud of steam.

"I failed her."

The words were soft, almost inaudible, but he could see her lips moving in the twilight. She rubbed her forehead in an agitated fashion.

"Because of me she got into that accident. It was my fault she got hurt."

Hesitant emerald eyes glanced up into maple-red orbs but Shigeru realized that she was staring at something beyond him. He shook his head but she failed to acknowledge it.

"I spent the past year trying to track down who did this to me… to us. And it all just led into one huge circle, starting and ending with that name. Your name." Her eyes finally focused on him. "Why? Why did any of this happen?"

He figured what to say to that question if he dug deeply enough. It was not a string of unfortunate events. It had been the simple conclusion to a multitude of small and seemingly unrelated events that strung together to form the tangled web they all found themselves in.

It would have been too much to say that it was his entire fault. No, there were other factors. But how could they be explained in so little time?

He turned and stretched his arms up over his head before letting them down.

"I wonder… I wonder, sometimes, what that answer might be," he said.

When he turned back around, Kuga Natsuki, the truant and brawler, had already retreated deep within herself. She brushed the wrinkles off her coat and stuffed her hands in her pockets before staring off to the stars.

_If you have nothing to lose… what causes you to finally break down?_

* * *

AN: I feel like everything is settling down nicely. This is a shorter chapter due to it being mostly conversation and a little slice of life.

About the lack of Shizuru and chance of a Shizuru/Natsuki reunion: Shizuru is a huge endgame character, like the lone Red Queen on the chessboard hell bent on protecting her King. That said, a reunion is... likely. I suppose.


	9. Cause Disarray

Author here. As always, thank you for your reviews and everlasting patience as I bumble about and separate our darling couple.

This chapter was... difficult, for lack of a better word. Feels a little rushed.

Mai-hime and related belongs to Sunrise.

* * *

**Cause Disarray**

Two weeks were now up.

Haruka stared at the train routes posted in the station. She had just arrived at the station dressed in casual jeans and a hooded sweatshirt along with a thick down-filled jacket. It was a little colder than she had expected but she would bear with it for now. She read over the routes for what seemed to be the tenth time until someone wearing a black suit and coat sidled up next to her. He coughed politely to catch her attention and she inclined her head towards him.

"Took you long enough, Kanzaki."

Reito raised a complacent hand to stave off any lectures.

"Ah, sorry. I was tied up in a phone call."

"Really?" Haruka turned back to the map. "Your sister?"

"Mai-san, actually."

She made a curious noise while looking over towards him once more. He stared back bemusedly.

"You two an item?"

Another polite cough came as this time Reito stared at the map in feigned interest.

"I wouldn't say that, Suzushiro-san. I had asked her about Mikoto's health… seems the weather was disagreeing with her lately."

This idle strain of chatter drifted as Haruka crossed her arms.

"Train should be here soon. The tracks were finally de-iced last night."

"Where are we headed?" he asked.

"The city." Haruka stuffed her hands in her jacket pockets. "Apparently the pills that you had Tokiha drop off to Yukino were manufactured in a laboratory to the north of here. Marguerite is supposed to be somewhere around here tonight for something or another."

He let out a low whistle.

"Think we're a little over our heads?"

She snorted. "A little?"

"Well…" He nearly hit the wall as he was jostled forwards. "Whoa, what—"

Haruka turned and caught the tell-tale shock of red hair merging into the crowd. Like a bull drawn to scarlet cloth she let out the briefest of snorts and lowered her head as she marched into the crowd with all the purpose of a bulldozer ready to run through everything. Reito wheeled around in a rare state of panic as he followed the trail of blonde hair.

Nao felt a hand clamp over her shoulder like a vice.

"Hey, what—"

She turned around and immediately wished she didn't. If there was one person Nao would have wanted to avoid for the rest of her life, Suzushiro Haruka fit the bill nicely. Despite the older girl graduating before Nao even set foot in the same high school, Haruka's reputation as the Executive Director never quite went away. Nao's years of higher education were marred by curfew violations that could have easily thrown her out of school… if it wasn't for blackmailing Yukino to blot them out of her record. The last semester of second year especially was a blast when the scheme was implemented. However, all good things had to come to an end. Nao considered herself extremely lucky to get out of school alive let alone with a diploma when Haruka found out about that.

"S-Suzushiro?" An uneasy laugh emerged from Nao when Haruka refused to let go. "Heh… Long time no see?"

"Yeah, it's been a while." Violet eyes narrowed. "Never long enough, though. What are you doing here, Yuuki."

By this time Reito had made his way over towards the two. He took a moment to straighten his coat and fix his tie, all in keeping the semblance of an unruffled man despite his impressive 100-meter dash through the mingling crowds. Nao looked up at him in a plea for leniency but the only thing he could offer was a half-hearted shrug.

"Answer me," Haruka demanded with a little shake.

"Stop making milkshake out of my brains!" Nao snapped.

She clamped her hand over Haruka's wrist but resistance was futile.

"Alright… Alright! Let go of me and I'll talk."

Haruka rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Like I'm going to do that!" She reinforced her grip. "Now, what are you doing here?"

"Could it occur to you that maybe I live here or something?" Nao spat.

"Or something, Yuuki-san," Reito replied calmly as he watched the two struggle back and forth. "You wouldn't be trying to run if you did not have something to hide."

Nao glared at him but the warning behind her look was ignored as Reito shifted her gaze towards Haruka. His normally calm demeanor now held a stern streak as he stared at them contemplatively.

"Now, now. We don't have to look like we are holding up a common pickpocket in the station, do we?" he asked.

Now she knew she was in for it when Kanzaki Reito used that tone of voice. The so-called pretty-boy rarely sullied his hands over any dirty business when at school, much like the Kaichou he worked with. It was only when he personally felt something was amiss that he even showed interest in rectifying the situation. Haruka loosened her grip slightly and Nao groaned in defeat. She could already feel the five small bruises that no doubt would develop from where Haruka's fingers dug into her shoulder. Reito turned and beckoned them over to a small coffee shop outside the station. After small cups of coffee were placed in front of them Nao begrudgingly relaxed against the plush seating.

"So you got me," Nao said after a moment. "What do the two of you want?"

"Just answer her question for now," Reito replied before taking a small sip.

"I can't do that," Nao hissed. "If my cover is blown—"

"So you _are_ sneaking around!" Haruka exclaimed.

"No I'm not! And try to keep the volume down." Nao heaved a great sigh. "Listen, I'm pretty sure by now that we're close to being on the same page. Just tell me what you're here for and I'll let you know if I have anything that relates."

"I was told by Fujino two weeks ago to come here," Haruka said before downing the last of her own cup of black coffee. "For what, I don't know."

Nao blinked. "Fujino? Which one?"

"Which one…?" Reito echoed curiously.

"Wait a second!"

Nao felt herself lurch back and forth again, this time from… exuberance?

"You know where Fujino Shigeru is?!" Random gibberish spilled out from Nao but that didn't stop Haruka from her enthusiastic shaking. "Where is he?!"

"Suzushiro-san," Reito warned with a sigh. "Let's not make our contact into a rag doll by the end of this ordeal."

Haruka stopped her shaking in time to see Nao's head lolling back and forth. Nao rubbed her head and finally managed to push her way out of the slack grip.

"… With Kuga," Nao managed to wheeze out.

Nostrils flared as violet eyes flashed. Nao stared at her with her mouth agape. Haruka was perfectly jubilant only a few seconds ago. Now it looked as if she wanted to flip the table over and take her temper out to the streets.

"Kuga!"

Haruka nearly took the poor table out as she pumped her fists against it and bellowed. Nao could almost see the puffs of air exit her nostrils by way of a heavy snort.

"And what has that delinquent been doing for the better part of a year?" Haruka asked as she pushed up the her sleeves.

"… Saving Fujino Shigeru's ass and hiding from the likes of you," Nao said with a sneer. "I bet when you see her, the first thing you'll do is smack her fool head around."

"Maybe if she didn't leave Fujino _Shizuru_ in the first place a year ago a good portion of this wouldn't have happened," Haruka growled in response, jabbing a finger in Nao's general direction. "Now that she's awake and doped up on something or another I'm here to set this mess straight and if I have to knock her _food head _around I will!"

"Fool head," Reito supplied quickly when a short silence followed.

Nao held up her hands and formed a "T" to signal a time-out. Surprisingly Haruka relented and leaned back against her seat.

"Wait, wait. Are you telling me that Fujino Shizuru is awake?" Nao asked with a raised eyebrow.

Reito nodded.

"Ah, and now everything comes together," Nao mused, rubbing her chin. "Well, this is interesting."

"What do you plan on doing with Fujino Shigeru?" Haruka inquired with a frown.

"What do I plan? Well I plan on getting a nice fat paycheck and getting myself the hell out of here."

Nao paused with those violet eyes reached a dangerous level of ferocity.

"… Then again… on short term, we were planning on going back to Tokyo to regroup."

"You might want to hold off on that right now," Reito said.

Nao frowned into her coffee cup.

"Why? The tracks are de-iced and there's supposed to be another storm tonight. If we don't get out now we might be stuck until the storm lifts. That's another three or so days without a paycheck."

"True, but we have reason to believe that something important may occur tonight," Reito explained. "Knowing Kuga-san's cause for absence, this might be doubly important to her as well."

Nao waved her hand for a refill without taking her eyes off the man seated across from her.

"Is that why the two of you are here?" she asked before the waitress came with a coffee pot and a tray of shortbread cookies. "Is this some sort of reunion special or something?"

"Wherever that weasel Marguerite goes, Fujino is sure to be there," Haruka muttered darkly.

"Marguerite? Like a margarita?" Nao took a sip of coffee and sighed wistfully. "I like those, you know. Especially the huge ones on the rocks with the rim full of salt. Too bad I've been stuck in this frozen mess for so long that I've forgotten the taste of them."

Reito easily caught on. He dipped a cookie into his coffee, took a bite, and set it down before folding his hands around his cup.

"I know of an excellent club back in Tokyo that serves some of the best."

"Really." Nao smiled. "Expensive?"

Reito shrugged nonchalantly.

"Free, unless, you know, we don't get what we want. I don't think I can guarantee your safety against Suzushiro-san here."

He looked over towards his colleague. Haruka finished her cup of coffee rather calmly but the point was already set. Nao reached into her back pocket. Out came a pen that she shook vigorously before uncapping it. She grabbed onto a napkin and scribbled on it to get the ink going before turning it over. On this side she wrote down what looked to be a map before sliding it over to Reito's waiting hand.

"My sources aren't 100-percent sure, but something is supposed to be going down in this club tonight. If your Marguerite or whatever is hanging around Sapporo on 'business', that'd be her place to be."

He neatly folded the napkin into his jacket pocket and gathered his coat.

"Pleasure doing business with you," he said cheerfully. "Hopefully we'll see each other under… friendlier terms. Have a good day, Yuuki-san."

Nao gave a wary nod before she got up. Haruka and Reito watched the younger girl nearly fly for the exit before they too got up from the table.

"… Think we laid it on a little thick?" Reito mused.

"Doesn't matter," Haruka replied tersely. "This has been a year in the making, after all."

* * *

Sapporo was awash in lights that night. Despite the frigid atmosphere there was still life in the city to stave off the long nights. The city's nightlife flooded the Mosaic nightclub in a flash of blue lights and pulsating bass. This particular club was one of the most illustrious joints in the immediate area, and many influential individuals typically held their meetings there. The closed doors hid the clandestine meetings from the prying eyes of the frenzied dancers who congregated on the dance floor.

Natsuki wondered how much it would take for Shigeru to just sit still but the older man was succumbing rapidly to the infectious ebb and flow of the crowd around them. She knew this was a bad idea, especially when alcohol was unsuccessfully used to keep him in his seat. A train of girls not much older than herself were already flocking around Shigeru like busy bees to a particularly attractive blossom. He politely waved away their advances with charming smiles that caused even more girls to stop around their spot next to the bar. Natsuki looked away from the building spectacle and ordered another Black Russian to kill time.

Right now it was just the two of them not counting the growing gaggle of girls. There had been a tip from Yamada and Nao a few hours ago about this particular club but Natsuki wasn't really seeing it. Mediating quarrels between gangs were not how she wanted to spend her days. Bored emerald eyes roved over flashing lights as she swiveled around in her bar stool and surveyed the crowd before her. The frozen atmosphere blended with her silence so well that there was a clear radius of free space around her despite the longing in the eyes of the clubbers. Her signature black suit and white shirt clearly indicated that she was all business tonight.

"C'mon, Natsuki-chan," Shigeru called out. Already he was feeling the effects of several drinks. "Just relax for tonight!"

"Still on a job," Natsuki muttered in response as her eyes raked over the dance floor.

"In a club?" Shigeru asked in an astounded tone. "What on earth do you do for fun, then?"

Natsuki rested her chin on her hand. Of course she had fun. It was only a while since the last time. She shook her head to clear it of nostalgia before facing a curious Shigeru.

"… That looks like quite the crowd," Natsuki said as she motioned towards the door.

Shigeru turned and froze.

"… Fujino-san?"

"I'll be right back."

Shigeru didn't even bother to wait for a response as he hopped off his barstool and disappeared into the crowd. Natsuki pushed her way through the crowd as well but soon stopped herself at the sight of something so familiar that her breath was ripped away from her.

… _It can't be._

The doors to the VIP section opened with a bang when Shigeru shoved the doors open with one push. The lone individual in the room looked up with mild surprise.

"Oh, this is a pleasant surprise."

The woman sitting before him had the same ageless quality that he possessed. Indeed, they looked markedly similar with the same beguiling smile and emotionless mask hiding the true extent of their moods. Her silver eyes held nothing of the general warmth that his eyes possessed, however, and the smile on her lips held a decidedly dangerous curve to it. Thick flaxen hair the same color as his was piled high into a bun that revealed a long neck adorned with a simple set of priceless pearls.

"… Kyoko."

Kyoko Marguerite rewarded him with another closed-mouth smile that he failed to return.

"Hello again, brother."

Despite her years overseas her Japanese still retained a clear indication that she had been born in Kyoto and raised in a world of rich history and splendor. She had changed little from the last time he had seen her. Shigeru took in the knowing look in her eyes and looked away.

"What are you doing back in Japan?"

She took a dainty sip out of her martini glass.

"Mediating, of course. My residence is overseas, yes, but that doesn't allow me to ignore my business here in Japan."

Business, of course. That was nothing but bad news to Shigeru.

"I suspect you've met Tomoe already?" she asked after a moment.

"How long did you know about all this?" he asked in a harsh whisper.

"I'm afraid I didn't know for as long as you would have liked." She studied the mixture of rage and frustration of her brother's eyes for a moment before deciding to continue. "But… long enough, I'll have to say."

"Do you even realize what your daughter could have done?" Shigeru asked with an impatient wave of his hand. "Do you know what she did to me? She locked me in a damn ice box for nearly a year!"

"Oh, I'm very well aware," Kyoko replied.

For the first time an emotion other than smug accomplishment passed through her face. She almost looked troubled at her own admission but brushed it off with a dismissive wave bred from years of cool nonchalance.

"I can't excuse my daughter's actions. She can be somewhat… reckless."

Shigeru glowered.

"I'll say," he replied sarcastically. "When were you going to rein her in, Kyoko? When she kills someone? I mean she did do a fine number on me by running me off the road."

"Don't be ridiculous," Kyoko scoffed as she took a sip of her drink. "Tomoe knows where the line is drawn. If she oversteps it then it will be her who will pay, no one else."

"The line?" Shigeru repeated in disbelief. His teeth gnashed together as his voice entered a higher volume. "The line! This isn't some sort of game, Kyoko!"

"Honestly, brother, you may want to keep your voice down," Kyoko replied in an annoyed tone. "I paid enough money for this room to not end the night with a pounding headache from your bellowing."

Shigeru began to pace around the VIP room. A slow fire was beginning to creep up from the pit of his stomach to wash through his throat and up to his mouth. During the slow crawl into this palatable agony Kyoko looked on with unreadable eyes and a hint of a smile on her lips. She drank in his disbelief and anger with as much zest as she would any fine liquor. The effects made her feel almost pleasantly drunk. Shigeru ran his hands through his hair agitatedly.

"You know, it's just like you. It's just like you to be amused over all of this," he stammered as he jabbed a finger in his sister's general direction.

"Ara, am I not allowed?" Kyoko asked with an innocent blink. "After all, brother, you had no qualms yourself over playing these games."

"This is different!" Shigeru argued. "I would never—"

"You would never what, hm?" Kyoko fixed her brother with a cold look. "What were you going to say, brother? You would never hurt another in the process?"

He stopped his pacing and instead glared at her… but remained curiously silent. Now her amused smile morphed into a triumphant smirk as she stood. The fabric of her dress swished over her legs as she made her way towards the fuming man.

"I have you there, don't I?"

"That… That was different," Shigeru argued. "And it was years ago! Sure, we played our games back and forth but this isn't a game, Kyoko!"

Kyoko shook her head. Her smile melted into a frown mirroring his own.

"No, brother. It was always the same game."

Shigeru gave a fleeting glance towards the door before whirling around to face Kyoko. Behind him he could hear the sounds of footsteps pounding down the hall to stop in front of the door. Fists pounded from outside.

"You will not touch her," he growled out. "She's the only one I have left. Take what you want from me, but you _will not_ have her."

Kyoko stared at him before her eyes flashed. The pupils morphed into slits even as she touched her forehead with slim fingers.

"Quite frankly… that is out of my hands," she hissed.

Shigeru stared at the door once more but before he could open it he felt her hand on his shoulder.

"Here is my proposal," Kyoko continued calmly even as the pounding grew louder. "In five minutes my unfortunate business partners will realize that there is no deal going on. They will be rather angry, no doubt. There is an exit in this room that will lead outside. Take it, and go back."

_Another game._

"No." Shigeru shook his head. "No. I won't leave her."

_Shizuru._

Natsuki caught the sway of flaxen hair and locked on to it as she pushed against the dancing crowd. Already she could pick out the uncompromisingly beefy security guards that flanked the entering party. Inwardly she cursed but continued shoving through the crowd until she reached a clearing. The entourage parked themselves down at the bar and Natsuki scooted to a seat with a grumble.

"Damn… I should've just stayed in the bar," she muttered as she took in her immediate surroundings. "All this walking around to just get to the same place… what a load of…"

The woman had yet to turn her head. Natsuki blinked and shifted her gaze to the left. Was that green hair beside that brown? An atrocious laugh erupted from the entourage and Natsuki grimaced as she cradled her right ear.

"How much money do they get paid to hang around _that_," she wondered aloud.

She waved away the bartender and was given a glass of soda which she nearly downed in one gulp. She nibbled on the straw while watching the group several seats down from her. Something bubbled up in her stomach as she watched them and it wasn't from the soda. She recognized this feeling. She never quite forgot the last time she felt this uncertainty bubble up from within. It was the feeling of quiet dread that plummeted straight to disaster.

The next few seconds were total bedlam. Something was going on in the VIP lounge, something large enough to cause the dance floor to erupt into pandemonium. She nearly went deaf as the roar of fire erupted from the center of the VIP lounge. In the back of her mind she registered gunshots going off in the distance that led to a concerto of panicked screams. The green-haired entourage leader was shrieking orders at her lackeys. Natsuki scrambled for cover by leaping over the bar and landing near a wild-eyed bartender.

"Stay down," she barked.

During his frantic nods she edged over to the end of the bar and chanced a peek up.

_Did they find out about us? No, no. This has to be unrelated._

The nightclub was about to implode in itself. Natsuki took in a deep breath and hopped out of her hiding place. Despite the chaos and confusion she maneuvered around the crowd and locked onto the flowing waves of chestnut brown hair. Someone knocked into her and she landed with a dizzy groan as her head knocked into the counter. She scrambled up to her feet as she registered her surroundings. Now the only people still around were ill-disguised thugs belonging to one underground faction or another, she wasn't too sure. She found it too hard to pay attention to anything outside of what was in front of her.

There she was with chestnut brown hair flying out in the intense blasts of heat. Fujino Shizuru stood in this backdrop of hell with an acute clarity in her crimson eyes. The black silk of her dress swam over her curves and rippled through the mix of hot air as she threw her arms up to shield her face from the embers that flew past her. Natsuki barely swallowed as she laid eyes on her.

_I __**won't**__ let you go again._

Natsuki launched herself through the air right as another explosion rocked through the club. Her arms wrapped around the body in front of her and the two tumbled down to the ground. They rolled for a few meters before Natsuki instinctively covered the body below her with her own. Debris collapsed over on top of them but Natsuki's back prevented the two from being crushed underneath. The continuous screams of the crowd—also trapped under this pandemonium of rubble and fire—dimmed in favor of a strange, muffled silence.

Her back was killing her. Natsuki let out a pained wheeze before her eyes slowly opened and adjusted to the lack of light. The fingertips that grazed her cheeks were shaky and the body beneath hers was shivering. The close contact was equal parts agonizing and relieving. All Natsuki could see in the semi-darkness was the steady warm glow of the crimson eyes staring up at her. Shock weakened her muscles as she struggled to keep upright. With a short puff of air she clamped her elbows down on either side of the body below her. Despite the pain, a smile grew on her lips as she felt steadier palms grasp onto her cheeks. Red eyes grew impossibly wide as tears shimmered on the surface and finally fell in crystalline streams. Natsuki's thumb gently rubbed against her cheek, leaving a small smudge of dust against the porcelain skin.

Another explosion rocked the club, this time knocking the debris off Natsuki's back and catapulting the two over towards the bar once more. Brown hair muffled her sight and filled her nose with the combined scent of jasmine and ashes as she felt Shizuru's body collide against her own. Natsuki managed to blink off her daze and stood up slowly, taking a protective step forward. Something whined in the back of her head and she grasped at her forehead with a groan.

"Shizuru-sama?!"

Again with that voice. Natsuki clenched her jaw as her neck strained. The fires seemed to recede somewhat through a lack of fuel in order to reveal the owner of the voice. Cold gray eyes roved over the burning wreckage of what was once a lucrative joint that brought in a good percentage of her income. Asymmetrical green hair flew wildly in every direction when a fresh blast of heat buffeted around her. She looked positively deranged—an unstable tyrant in her own kingdom of bedlam.

"Get away from her," the woman snarled.

Natsuki lowered her head and stood her ground. Tomoe's nostrils flared as she brought a gun up to level with Natsuki. She could hear Shizuru draw in a tense breath behind her in the curious silence that followed when she released the safety on the gun. Tomoe was bodily tackled out of the way just as she began to pull the trigger. She lurched to the side but the gun in her hand discharged when her finger twitched. The casing clattered with a distinct echo but it was lost as a body slumped to the floor. Tomoe backed away shakily from the groaning man who had just shoved her to the ground. She stared at him with an overwhelming sense of disbelief.

"You…"

Shizuru shakily got up on her feet. Her eyes never left the struggling body.

"… Otou-han…"

Dulled maple-red eyes stared at them. Shigeru's breathing was dangerously shallow. A pool of dark liquid began to seep from his side.

The temperature began to drop in Natsuki's immediate area as she lifelessly fell to her knees. Her arms and legs engaged in violent tremors and a growl began to grow from the back of her throat. She doubled over on her hands and knees as one final tremor rocked through her body. Muscles ripped and bones popped, causing her head to rear back and her teeth to be bared. The first major change came in the form of her canine teeth gnashing together before beginning to grow. Ice encased the growing form that had begun to replace Natsuki. The black wolf-beast settled on four legs as it stood still in its glacial prison. It flicked its formidable tail agitatedly as an enraged emerald eye shot open.

The iceberg that imprisoned the beast shattered, scattering fragments of ice in every direction as the beast shook its fur free of crystals. Tomoe scrambled away on her hands and knees as the wolf focused its gaze on her. Ice crystals shimmered and melted in the dire heat, causing the cold water to rain down on the flames and reduce them to mere flickers. The wolf charged through the flames even as Tomoe brought the gun up and emptied the entire clip in its general direction. Bullets grazed its shoulders but the wolf knocked Tomoe over and clamped its paws over her shoulders as her head knocked onto the floor. The bared fangs came within an inch of her exposed neck.

"Don't."

The wolf stopped when slim arms wrapped around its neck. A warm breath sent clouds of steam to the wolf's ear as Shizuru dug her fingers into the black fur. Her grip was deceptively strong and soon the wolf found itself backing away from Tomoe's unconscious body. The wolf glanced over at Shigeru, only to see the man struggle to get up on his elbows and knees.

… _Still alive._

The wolf shook its head and the agonizing pain in its head began to recede. It slumped to the ground when the adrenaline faded and blood loss caused its limbs to give out as Natsuki began to regain control. Her sight focused in and out before going black, but the arms around her and the calm, steady breaths that blew into her ear stayed with her as she sank into an exhausted sleep.

* * *

AN: Hm. I was thinking of adding another chapter before this... but I think Shizuru and Natsuki have waited long enough. And where the heck were Haruka and Reito, anyway? Probably off drinking more coffee, lol.

The next chapter (maybe two) will be interludes, just as a fair warning. It will be necessary to flesh a few points out before we go into our conclusion arc.


	10. Interlude: My Most Important Person

Author here. Thank you for your reviews :)

I did say this was going to be an interlude, so please don't go "baaawww where is my shiznat D:"

Think of the following as a series of photos taken through the years to get us near the present day.

Mai-hime and related belong to Sunrise.

* * *

**Interlude: My Most Important Person**

Shigeru was five and Kyoko was four when the tremors first began. Back then there was no explanation for them. Doctors were befuddled and Fujino Tetsuo was growing short on patience. First District was a struggling pharmaceutical company with ridiculous ambitions but enough talent to back them up. Within a month of discovery the patriarch of the Fujino family invested enough money to build a fledgling facility. As the scientists attempted to decipher the cause of this strange disease, Kyoko shook and strained under restraints in a locked room in the far corner of their mansion. As a curious and determined young boy, Shigeru managed to unlock the door and peek in during the middle of these monthly attacks.

Her silver eyes with slit pupils displayed nothing but acute fear. Her upper body was shaking under the restraints but remained relatively normal despite the tremors. From the waist down was nothing more than a writhing mass of silver scales. It was unnatural, an abomination. Kyoko turned her head when she heard the strangled gasp come from outside. They stared at each other for a long moment before Shigeru shut the door.

They never spoke of it.

* * *

Shigeru was fourteen when he first heard of Shimazu Kiyo. The girl was from a fine family with foreign influences, his father Tetsuo would boast. Her great-grandfather was a highly decorated officer in the Russian army before the revolution that took place. However, the family had fallen on hard times and it was through some deliberation that the Fujino family even considered looking into the crumbling family. The girl was hard-working and very well-educated; she attended the same prestigious academy that Kyoko attended but through a scholarship rather than influence. This wintry beauty observed the world with eyes the same shade as the rare aquamarines Kyoko wore around her neck and just as coldly as those precious stones.

"The two of you are going to marry, Shigeru," Tetsuo announced one day over dinner.

The mouthful of rice fell from Shigeru's wide-open mouth.

"WHAT."

"Isn't that nice," Kyoko announced before sipping her tea.

"You stay out of this," Shigeru snapped.

"Shigeru!" their father thundered. "It's high time you actually take your place seriously for once! Why, I was betrothed to be married to your mother when I was three and we turned out quite well! Children these days…"

"I'm not marrying her," Shigeru muttered mutinously as he set down his chopsticks and got up from the table.

Kyoko observed her brother leave and smiled one of her secretive smiles. Tetsuo observed his daughter with a soft sigh. The medicine that First District had been testing was working wonders on his daughter. The tremors failed to bother her as much and she could even go out into high society without being talked about behind her back. But there was something strange that touched her eyes and left a visible cold taint that Tetsuo knew would never quite go away. The bridge between her and her brother could never be rebuilt.

"… Kyoko? What are you thinking of?"

"Nothing, father. Nothing at all."

* * *

"Brother."

"Yes, Kyoko?"

"The match might be a good one, you know. It might take you back down to earth for once."

"You're only agreeing to it because you want to make me miserable."

A laugh.

"Maybe. Maybe not. I only have your interests at heart, brother. You honestly tell me that you don't care for this girl?"

"How can I? I don't even know a thing about her."

"Shame. That attitude of yours could be your undoing, you know."

"It's all just a game we play, nothing more."

* * *

The first meetings between Shigeru and Kiyo took place in two radically different atmospheres when he was sixteen and she was fifteen.

The first was held in a tea house in the Shimazu residence. He shifted in his seat as she slowly went through the methodical process of a formal tea ceremony. She tucked the sleeve of her kimono back and gently rested the ladle down on top of the iron pot in the hearth. Ceremony dictated that the conversation would be exchanged between the hostess and guest of honor—his father, in this case. His job was to sit and enjoy the sweet cakes that had been provided to stave off the wait. The tea had been prepared in the same agonizingly slow fashion that caused his legs to nearly fall asleep. He couldn't remember the last time he was in the _seiza_ position for this long. His father wiped the rim of the bowl before passing it towards him.

His hands went through the routine precisely. He turned the bowl, took a preliminary sip of the thick, frothy tea, and murmured the correct phrase under his father's watchful eye. After taking two more sips he set the bowl down and wiped the rim before turning it back to its original position and passing it back to the hostess. Glacial blue eyes connected to muddled maple-red. The look beneath those foreign eyes was unfathomable but he was undeterred. She was very beautiful, but he wasn't impressed. Familial duty held no importance to his mind. He mirrored her cold look with one of his own. The rest of the idyllic winter afternoon was spent in relative silence.

The second meeting took place in a boxing gymnasium several miles away from the Fujino residence. Despite Tetsuo's initial disapproval he relented and had allowed his son to take up a sport outside of what was deemed proper. It wasn't to say that Shigeru did not excel in traditional arts, but boxing was what his heart came home to. The rhythmic pounding of gloves hitting punching bags and the swish of jump ropes was the sweet music to his haven.

She looked terribly out of place in her blue and gray kimono as she stood amidst the curious boxers, but if she was uncomfortable she failed to address it. Instead she primly folded her hands in front of her and watched Shigeru as he circled around another boxer in a sparring match. He jerked his head back to avoid the straight left for his chin and weaved around the follow-up punch. As he ducked and got in where the fists couldn't reach, he unleashed a series of left and right hooks that dug into his opponent's sides before the man stuck his elbows down to knock the blows away. Shigeru ducked the incoming punch aimed for his head and finished with an uppercut that blew past the man's defenses and pummeled his chin with such force that his mouth guard spilled out in a spew of spit and blood.

The gym was relatively empty by the time Shigeru moved on to bag work. His wrapped fists tapped at the speed bag at a lively pace even as he felt those cold eyes lock onto the back of his head. Finally he grasped at the bag with his hands and turned to face her. He noticed the towel in her hands and frowned.

"… I don't need it."

Kiyo offered no response. Shigeru returned to the speed bag but did not continue with his drill.

"You and I both know that we aren't cut out for this arrangement," Shigeru said after a moment. "There's no point in going through with it."

"It's not for you to decide," Kiyo replied simply.

Suddenly he lunged for her, backing her into the wall and placing his hands on either side of her head. She stared steadily back at him even as his breath hitched from his earlier exertions.

"I am not going to be ruled by the stuffy traditions of our fathers. If that's the way you like it then that's just you."

Her eyes narrowed. The fingertips on his arm felt deceptively light before her fingers tightened around his wrist. He saw the ceiling for all of two seconds before his back collided painfully into the unforgiving floor. His lungs ached and he let out an uncharacteristic wheeze.

"You are _not_ alone in feeling cheated," she hissed. "But do not take it out on me, Fujino-san, when I am resigned to the same fate as you."

A spark of blue fire flickered from within the glacial depths of her eyes before his sight was covered by the towel she flicked over his face. Shigeru never felt such a conflicting mix of anger and desire.

* * *

The engagement was officially announced on Shigeru's eighteenth birthday. He fixed the stiff collar of his shirt and smoothed over his white waistcoat before shrugging on the tailed tuxedo jacket that completed his white-tie wear.

For nearly three hours the engaged couple had sat down at the head of the table in stiff silence as the guests lauded over the favorable union. He pulled at his tie but kept it on when he registered the prying eyes of his father. With a resigned sigh he looked over to his side and felt a strange sense of comfort to see the patient expression on his fiancé's face.

After the initial pleasantries subsided and the guests began to make their wall to the expansive ballroom, Kiyo retired to change out of the ornate kimono and into a ball gown for the evening. He paced around the base of the stairwell that led out into the ballroom with agitated steps as he rubbed his gloved hands together. Something did not seem right, but he put his thoughts on hold when he turned and caught sight of the white dress in front of his eyes. He offered his arm and she took it.

They walked in to polite applause and appreciative smiles for the newly engaged couple who exhibited identical half-smiles. They did their dance on the center of the floor to the orchestra's string quartet and jerked their bodies along like silver-stringed marionettes to the adoring eyes of those around them. Their steps were flawless even as their eyes were distant. A perfect couple.

A winter's couple, encased in crystalline ice and marred by the frigid atmosphere.

Silver eyes studied them from the hushed silence of the appreciative crowd. Kyoko glared at the couple for a long moment before disappearing with a swish of her dress.

* * *

"That was not in the rules, brother."

"It's fine, isn't it? And your game had no rules anyway."

* * *

There was no dashing display of everlasting devotion that caused Shigeru and Kiyo to finally warm to each other. That particular moment came with the sound of knuckles grinding into someone's jaw.

Now that he thought about it, Shigeru knew that he shouldn't have thrown that punch. But the Marguerite kid deserved it. He was asking for it, especially with his derisive attitude and smug expression. He was given a stern lecture by his father that culminated into another dangerous attempt at a fight. Shigeru was smart, however, and took his father's request that he cool his head before it was cooled for him. So he retired to his room and stared out the window towards his backyard's rendition of winter's last stand against the heralds of spring.

The door to his room opened soundlessly and he turned to see Kiyo step in with a roll of bandages and a small tin of ointment. He returned to his sentinel position by the window even as she sat next to him on the windowsill and reached for his hand.

"… I don't need it."

Cool fingers grazed against his knuckles, soon replaced by the numbing cold of the ointment.

"I know." Slowly the bandages covered his knuckles. "You didn't have to do that."

"… He looked at you like you were below him, like trash. All because you aren't swimming in a bathtub of gold like he thinks he is." His fist began to close but she stopped it before he ruined his bandages. "He deserved to have some sense knocked into him when he ran his mouth off like that."

She finished her work with a neat bow. As she snipped the ends and put away the ointment something seized Shigeru's heart and caused him to grab onto her shoulders. She turned and looked at him warily.

"Just say the word, and I will cancel this engagement. I'll fight whoever stands in your way."

"Why?" Kiyo asked after a terse silence. "Is this one of your attempts at freeing yourself from marriage?"

"No."

Now Kiyo stared at him in disbelief. Shigeru smiled a crooked smile and rubbed the back of his neck.

"You don't have to feel cheated anymore. I won't have you resign yourself to a life where you get ridiculed like that."

"… What if I do resign myself to that life?" Kiyo asked quietly.

Now it was Shigeru's turn to grow contemplative. His answer came soon enough, however, as his smile grew more relaxed.

"Then… I won't let anyone so much as look at you like you were below them. I'll fight anyone who thinks you don't deserve a chance."

"I suppose I'll have to stock up on bandages, then."

The smile was not a half-smile that Shigeru had seen from the serious young woman in front of him. Instead her eyes melted into a warm aquamarine glow. They leaned towards each other and touched foreheads in the silence of an early spring afternoon.

"I love you."

Her response was quiet and simple as she leaned in.

* * *

"… Congratulations on Kiyo's pregnancy, brother."

"Thank you, Kyoko."

"Still, though, I'm amazed how well the two of you get along now that you've been married for a few years. Back then you couldn't stand to be in the same room with her."

"That was in the past, it doesn't really matter." A pause. "You're bitter about losing, aren't you."

"Who said I lost, brother?"

"… What do you mean?"

"Think about it. You know that genes won't lie. You carry the same gene that causes this… impairment of mine."

"And it hasn't developed, so I don't know where you're going with this."

"I wonder…"

"This… is going too far, Kyoko."

"You said it yourself, brother. This is just a game, and there are no rules."

Another pause.

"And it's alright, isn't it, brother."

* * *

"I regret to inform you, Fujino-san, but your wife… was unable to recover from the delivery."

Shigeru stared in mute disbelief but did not lose his composure just yet. His newborn daughter stared up at him with crimson eyes as he cradled her with silent tears.

"Shizuru. Shizuru is your name."

He closed his eyes and wondered if it really was better that she had been born with his eyes rather than the heartbreaking blue eyes of her mother.

* * *

When Shizuru was nearly six months old, her father dressed her up in the warmest clothes and took her with him to his first business trip since the death of his wife. Despite the gaping hole left in his heart he kept a smile on his face due to the quiet bundle in his arms.

First District Pharmaceutical was a drab building painted in shades of gray. It blended in nicely with the rocky landscape around it. He walked through the obligatory tour given to him by eager scientists but soon he found himself alone in the lobby of the facility with his daughter snoozing in his arms.

"Ah, what a cute baby. How old is she?"

He turned and stared into calm forest-green eyes beneath glasses framed by black plastic. The woman standing before him looked to be of the same age. Her long dark air was pulled up into a ponytail and she wore a pristine white lab coat indicative of her position in the lab.

"Thank you. And she's six months come next week."

"I see, a winter's child."

He noticed her rounded stomach and gave her a crooked smile.

"Expecting?"

She absently rubbed her belly. "In a month or two, although I think the baby wants out as soon as possible."

"A summer baby, huh."

They drifted to a comfortable silence as he gently pat his daughter's back.

* * *

He returned to his boxing gloves and jump ropes by the time Shizuru turned five. The little girl with dark red eyes always stood in a kimono with her hands primly folded in front of her. The boxers gave her kind smiles and let her watch in her serious manner as her father went through his workout for the day.

If his sight turned blurry enough from one too many knocks to the head, the small girl in the corner morphed into a slim figure wearing a blue and gray kimono. She possessed the most beautiful aquamarine eyes. He shook his head and smiled to himself. When his fight was finished he felt a towel hit his upper back. Shizuru beamed as he took the towel and wiped himself down before patting her on the head with a bandaged hand.

_It's not alright. I'll fight whoever stands in our way… for all of us._

* * *

AN: To be honest, at the end of the day when I read over all of this, I felt sorry for them. But if this wasn't written out, their motives probably would have stayed in the dark.

If there are any pressing questions, drop me a line, lol.

The next chapter _should_ jump back to the story. Thank you for your patience and comments :D


	11. Everything Amounts to Nothing

Author here. I appreciate your continued reviews :)

My goodness, I really wasn't expecting a break. The internet died, then some interesting things came up that warranted a look-see, but rest assured, there's no hiatus in effect. It's not right to drop babies, you know.

Mai-hime and related belong to Sunrise

* * *

**Everything Amounts to Nothing**

When Natsuki returned to the world of consciousness, she first heard gentle vibrations of sound that funneled through her ears. She felt a soft lumpiness of cloth and foam underneath her and the relative warmth of a heavy down blanket when compared to her cold body. Pinpricks of white light invaded the space between her eyelids as she eased them open. Instantly she regretted going so fast. Her eyes strained to register something other than blinding white. After a few minutes the right side of her visual field began to register colors and the fan-like pattern of the ceiling above her. She drew in a deep breath and regretted that too when her lungs burned from the added intake of oxygen.

_Am I on a couch?_

She then frowned.

_My back is killing me._

Natsuki felt something shift to her side and she turned her head slightly. Calm crimson eyes underneath a curtain of light brown hair stared back at her.

"Hey," she croaked out.

A hand reached out and warm fingers tucked a stray lock of black hair behind her ear. Fingertips grazed against her jaw line before resting on her cheek.

"Hey."

The hand felt impossibly warm against her cold cheek. Natsuki sighed and leaned into the touch despite her body's protests at moving so soon.

"I forgot how cold you felt even after recovering," Shizuru murmured. "They thought you were dead because you were so stiff and cold, you know."

"A nasty shock, I'd bet," Natsuki replied with a faint grin.

A soft sigh blew a puff of air down onto her forehead and she blinked.

"How do you feel?"

"I'm… I'm alright." Natsuki frowned. "… I think. I should be, anyway. A little cold… but that should go away soon."

She took another deep breath and found that this didn't hurt as much as the first. Shizuru laced an arm underneath her and helped her up to a sitting position as she scooted back against the arm rest. Natsuki now had a full view of the room she was in. She took in the clean furnishings in the darkness and gave a questioning glance over towards Shizuru who offered her a small smile.

"We are in a spare room above the _Edelweiss_ café in downtown Fuuka."

_Mai's place?_

Natsuki looked around.

"Mai-han is downstairs working at the moment. She should be done in a few hours. Mikoto-chan stopped by a half-hour ago to see how you were but was called away to kendo practice."

Natsuki leaned back with a soft sigh.

_Fuuka. I'm home._

"Do you need anything, Natsuki?"

"… Water. I'm a little thirsty."

That was an understatement—she could barely even speak without her throat burning. Shizuru turned and poured out a glass of water from the pitcher on the coffee table. The rim of the glass was pressed against Natsuki's lips and she opened her mouth to take a few sips of the cool liquid. After a moment Shizuru withdrew the glass and watched as Natsuki smacked her lips and cleared her throat experimentally.

"… What happened?" Natsuki asked in a fraction of her normal volume.

Shizuru placed the cup next to the pitcher and sat on the edge of the couch when Natsuki scooted to make room. She found Natsuki's hand with her own and their fingers laced together with a firm grip to confirm that indeed, they were both here and this wasn't some sort of dream.

"You nearly died," Shizuru began softly. She found herself smiling at Natsuki's incredulous frown. "Honestly, you almost did. It was fortunate that the bullets didn't dig so deep, so when Duran retreated they fell out and left only a few grazes on your arms. They healed up quickly enough, but for a moment there you scared quite a few people."

Natsuki closed her eyes and moved her neck from side to side to work out some of the kinks. Deep within the recesses of her mind, the beast laid in wait. Instead of growling and gnashing at its mental restraints, the wolf was lounging around in its prison and studying the outside world quietly. Natsuki breathed a sigh of relief and opened her eyes as she felt slim fingers stroke her hair.

"We decided it would be best to split up. Otou-han is recovering in the Suzushiro mansion. It was fortunate that he stayed awake when Suzushiro-han and Reito-han arrived at the scene."

"So that's how we managed to get out of there." Natsuki paused. "What happened to that green-haired maniac with the gun?"

"Tomoe-han? We don't know. You almost killed her." Red eyes dimmed in a rare shift towards regret. "To be honest… I'm not sure that saving her was such a good idea after all."

"Damn straight. She tried to kill us. I would've taken her out in two seconds!"

To emphasize this claim Natsuki held up two fingers and waved them in Shizuru's direction. Shizuru shook her head at this declaration and tapped her cheek with her hand—a classic thinking pose.

"Ikezu, Natsuki. She is my cousin you know."

Emerald eyes shot open wide in confusion before narrowing in another disbelieving gaze.

"No way. Seriously?" When Shizuru nodded, Natsuki leaned back with an explosive sigh. "It seems like your family is equal parts playboy and psycho after all."

Shizuru offered a somewhat apologetic shrug in response.

"You look tired," Natsuki said, taking in the weary red eyes.

Shizuru more or less nodded before getting up. Natsuki shielded an audible yawn with her hand.

"Well, that's just as well. I'm kinda exhausted myself."

Despite the statement her eyes were wide open and her grip on Shizuru's hand was still firm. Shizuru turned back and gave her a confused look that faded when Natsuki pulled her into a loose embrace. The older girl smiled and rubbed her thumb against Natsuki's forehead as she rested her face against her stomach.

"Stay with me."

Shizuru nodded and eased herself down on top of Natsuki before being covered by the down blanket. They laid there in silence for a few minutes with only the palms of Natsuki's hands on her upper back making noise as they rubbed against the cotton fabric of her shirt. She was content simply to hold and reaffirm that they really were together after all this time. Shizuru noticed this silent intent and nuzzled her cheek against Natsuki's collarbone to try and coax some of the warmth back into the cold skin.

"This past year must have been difficult," Shizuru noted. "You almost lost yourself completely that night."

"… I was never that out of control before," Natsuki muttered in response. "I don't know what's happened to me, lately."

She felt Shizuru sigh against her neck.

"I'm sorry, Shizuru."

Shizuru looked up into exhausted emerald eyes.

"For what?"

"I caused this to happen." Natsuki swallowed thickly. "If I hadn't run out on you a year ago after the accident… maybe things wouldn't have gone so badly. Hell, maybe if I wasn't even on the road that day—"

She was interrupted when soft lips brushed up against her own. She leaned in and opened her mouth to an intake of air and mutual warmth. They stayed like that for a quiet moment while the world withdrew from this dark and sparsely-furnished room during a dull winter's day. There were no concerns over tragic pasts, gun-toting maniacs, frozen laboratories or even the pressing question of _what now_. Natsuki felt her mind slowly grow blank. Shizuru withdrew and placed another kiss on her forehead before settling back down onto the crook of her neck.

"It wasn't your fault," she said simply.

Natsuki managed to blink out of the haze in order to form a semi-coherent response. The scent of jasmines and taste of honeyed lips was enough to make her go speechless for the better part of the day if she wasn't careful.

"How would you explain it, then…"

"Have you ever heard the statement, 'it is no one's fault, yet it is everyone's fault'?"

"I have now. What does that have to do with any of this?"

Shizuru appeared to be contemplative for a moment before the response formed in her mind. She relaxed and felt Natsuki sink a hand through her hair in order to massage her scalp.

"If you think about it… The events that we have gone through were not the products of one particular individual. Rather, we all may have had a hand in what has transpired, but we can't decide how far the outcomes of our actions will stretch."

Shizuru felt the soothing rumble of Natsuki's throat as she made a noncommittal noise. Already her eyelids were beginning to droop in this comfortable weariness.

"That sounds somewhat pessimistic, Shizuru. Saying that it's everyone's fault and no one's at the same time. Honest, but pessimistic."

"Maybe… but it's better than pinning everything on just one person and calling it a day without knowing why you would."

They drifted off into a comfortable silence. There was no need for a flowery declaration of love and devotion between the two as they slept off the snowy afternoon back in Fuuka. All Natsuki knew was that, for the first time, the cold feeling that had sunk into her limbs for the better part of a year was finally beginning to melt.

It was well into evening when someone knocked on the door before opening it. Whispers filled a corner of the room, followed closely by the smell of food. Natsuki was the first to open her eyes, eliciting a startled response from Mai as her right eye reflected the light from outside the room and gave out a hazy green glow in response. She nearly emptied the pot in her hands on top of them but Mikoto made a panicked noise from the back of her throat and grabbed the pot before setting it on top of a gas burner already set on the table. Mai's expression of shock turned into a soft glare as she rested her hands on her hips.

"Honestly, Natsuki—"

Natsuki, now with red cheeks, snorted in indignation and gestured towards a snoozing Shizuru. Her eyebrows raised as she silently asked Mai what she meant by that exclamation. Mai quickly waved her hands to dispel the insinuation before taking off her oven mitts and undoing the string of her apron. Behind her Mikoto was busy bringing in things from the kitchen. Already there were several bowls laid out beside the pot.

"No, what I meant was the thing with your eyes… eye glowing like that," she whispered while waving towards her own eyes. She placed a hand above her prodigious chest and heaved a sigh. "I don't think I'll ever get used to it."

"Ah… sorry," Natsuki murmured.

A distant _thunk_ resounded as Mikoto lugged in a filled rice cooker. Mai looked over and shook her head at the younger girl's antics albeit with a smile.

"Well… It is dinner time after all."

Natsuki looked down as Shizuru breathed in deeply. She opened her eyes and stifled a yawn before raising herself up to a sitting position. Natsuki stretched and shrugged her shoulders before neatly hopping off of the couch. Already her injuries were nothing more than minor annoyances; her stomach was the more pressing issue now. They sat together at the round table and Mikoto wordlessly doled out the rice while Mai lit the burner and waited on the pot. Shizuru accepted her bowl with a smile while Natsuki studied the unusually quiet Mikoto.

"Are you sick?" she asked before they began their meal.

"Hm?" Mai looked over at Mikoto and smiled. "No, nothing like that. You know how Mikoto is with dogs, Natsuki."

"Mai, I am not a—"

"I don't think Natsuki is a bad one though," Mikoto interjected a little too quickly for her own good.

"Ara… I did not know Mikoto-chan was not fond of dogs."

Mikoto nodded quite seriously. "Dogs scare away my friends all the time. But Natsuki is okay. She can stay."

"… You make it sound as if you're just letting me stay out of habit," Natsuki muttered into her bowl.

"I'll say. Back then all you did was leave dirty laundry around the dorm and stuff half the refrigerator with mayonnaise and junk food," Mai replied before opening the pot.

Whatever arguments Natsuki had ready were extinguished as Mikoto hooted over the cheerfully bubbling ingredients for the night's hotpot. As the four began to eat the door to the apartment was knocked on and Mai opened it to reveal a snow-covered Reito carrying a small box in his gloved hands.

"Ah, Reito-san!"

"Good evening Mai-san." With a charming smile he nodded and pushed the box towards Mai's open hands. "Here's a small gift from Sapporo."

"Oh, you didn't have to…"

Reito found himself being shoved into the apartment. He nearly tripped over a pair of shoes but caught himself before he could fall on top of Mai. She looked over his shoulder and was visually assaulted by a flurry of blonde hair followed by slightly-unruly brown hair. Reito turned and fixed the two behind him with a meek frown.

"Suzushiro-san—"

"Yeah, yeah. We get it Kanzaki, but some of us are breezing to death here in this cold!"

"Freezing, Haruka-chan!"

"Ah." By this time Natsuki had lumbered out of the room and poked her head around the hall to register the guests. "I guess we need more bowls?"

"KUGA!" Haruka bellowed next to Reito's ear. He shrank away and cupped his ear, allowing Haruka to march over towards an unnerved Natsuki who was beginning to back away. "You have some explaining to do, Kuga!"

Natsuki bumped into Shizuru's front in her haste to get away from the raging bull. In response Shizuru threaded her arms around Natsuki's middle and pulled her closer before resting her chin on Natsuki's shoulder.

"Ara… good evening, Suzushiro-han. I trust that you are doing well?"

"Fujino!" Again came another war shout from Haruka, this time causing Yukino to wince. "We aren't going to be spurned by that 'Ara' attitude of yours!"

"Please, everyone!" Mai called out finally. "Can't we at least shut the door?"

Haruka hurriedly closed the door and the entryway was above freezing once more. The former schoolmates stared at each other silently before bursting into similar smiles despite the near-war that threatened to break out only a moment before. A string of chuckles and light laughter followed them from the entryway and towards the spare room where the hotpot was waiting. Now that there were seven of them the hotpot was gone within thirty minutes. That may have been through the seconds that Natsuki and Haruka tucked away along with the thirds that Mikoto polished off but soon the table was cleared to make way for coffee, tea, and sweets. Mikoto happily munched away at a cracker while the rest stared at each other over steaming cups of beverage.

"So, Kuga-san." Reito bit down on a cracker and neatly wiped his fingers free of crumbs with a napkin. "When we made our way to that club it looked like a bomb exploded in there."

"You wouldn't be too far off the mark," Natsuki replied. "In fact, there were several hand grenades that went off that night."

"What was that black beast, Kuga?" Haruka asked.

Natsuki and Shizuru exchanged a glance and Mai hurriedly stood to retrieve the coffee pot. Shizuru took a sip of tea and set her cup down while Natsuki fiddled with the plastic wrapper left on the table.

"How long do you have to listen?" Natsuki asked tersely.

"All night, pretty much," Reito replied. "We spent most of the afternoon resting."

Natsuki fumbled with the wrapper for a few seconds before setting it down. Shizuru caught her eye and nodded her on with a reassuring smile.

"See… I have this… thing, inside me." Natsuki rubbed the back of her neck. She was never good at putting this phenomenon to words—it always just came out on its own so to speak. "It's been there for as long as I can remember, really. A spirit of something from long ago. And it manifests itself through me if my emotions aren't in check. That beast… is its physical form. It seems to respond positively to 'Duran,' so that's what Shizuru and I have been calling him for some time."

"You're a werewolf?" Yukino asked in slight confusion.

"Somewhat. I guess if you scratch out the 'turns on the full moon and can only be killed by silver' part, then it fits. There are others out there, with other forms, not just animals. They could be likened to gods, but there was a price. The more I shift to that form, the more likely I am to lose myself to it if something happens. If that happens, I won't be able to return."

Natsuki rested her hand on her palm as she took in the bemused faces of the three sitting across from her. Yukino coughed and adjusted her glasses in an attempt to hide the budding questions that threatened to burst out from her. Reito merely looked pleasantly involved with the matter as he rested his hands around his coffee cup and offered a small smile. Haruka was the complete opposite by staring at her with her frown slightly twisted in a mixture of fascination and confusion.

_It'd be better to start from the beginning, I guess._

"A while ago a pharmaceutical company named First District got really interested in people like me. It was a sort of win-win bargain—people who didn't know what was going on or just wanted to be normal again went to the laboratory, given some pills, and were treated while First District was allowed to study their progress. My mother worked there and created a working pill that would suppress the urge to lose control, so it eliminated the continuous treatments and replaced it with these pills."

Natsuki walked over to a wrinkled coat that had been tossed on top of the couch. She straightened it and extracted an orange prescription bottle that she set on the table before sitting back down. After popping the cap open she revealed a pile of small white pills. Reito raised an eyebrow. Yukino adjusted her glasses as she picked up a pill but did not comment on them.

"They aren't much, just a sedative and another ingredient to keep my mind clear. When my mother found out that I had this condition she packed our bags and went back to her home in Fuuka. Here I am today."

To emphasize she gave a small wave to her captive audience.

"What a fascinating set of events," Reito said.

"You don't seem very surprised, Mai-san," Yukino noted.

"All I can say is, wolves tend to shed badly," Mai remarked with a shrug before picking up the stray plastic wrappers. She tossed them into the trash bin before returning to the table. "That plus Mikoto doesn't like dogs. But we had to keep it a secret, just in case something silly came out of it."

Haruka frowned and took another cracker from the bowl. "That's good and well, but I don't get it. How does this connect with everything that's been going on lately, then?"

"I may be able to answer that."

They turned and faced Shizuru who set down an empty cup. She accepted a refill with a quiet nod before clearing her throat.

"Before I begin, I'm sure that some of you may have found out what the connection with my family and Sapporo was."

"Records indicated that the Fujino family held a majority share in First District Pharmaceutical," Yukino said quietly as she looked down. "I garnered that from our previous meeting."

"It is true that my family funded First District when it was first coming to life."

Her gaze traveled from Yukino and Haruka over to Reito, Mikoto and Mai.

"We had an inexplicable history of illness that culminated ultimately into madness. First District was the only company that agreed to look into this anomaly. They discovered that there might have been a genetic factor to this condition… a modern way of saying that it was a bloodline trait, I suppose."

"Are you and Natsuki-san alike?" Yukino asked.

Shizuru shook her head.

"First District discovered that there were three ways this condition could manifest. The first was a direct transmutation of a spirit. That is Natsuki's case. The second is that no condition would be present. The potential is there but it never quite makes it because the proper conditions are not met. This is not to say that one will stay permanently in the second condition but that seems to be the case sometimes. The third, seemingly the rarest manifestation, is what I have."

"She's my mediator," Natsuki explained as she folded her hands together on the table.

"A mediator?" Haruka repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"Simply put, I don't have to take medication around her in order to remain balanced. I could probably transform right now and be able to talk to you in that state, as long as she's within two meters of me."

Mai shot her a warning look and Natsuki frowned.

"… Then again, maybe not."

"Does this work with everyone or is it a specific match-up?" Reito asked.

"At first it's with anyone really, almost like an umbrella effect," Shizuru replied. "I feel their emotions in exchange for allowing them to achieve control. After a while when a bond is established, the connection grows stronger and is settled over one individual. Right now we're in a sense of equilibrium, but if we're away from each other for too long then the connection can deteriorate."

At this point Yukino held up a white pill.

"You did say that this contained a dampening agent, correct?"

Natsuki nodded. Yukino set the pill down on the table with the rest of the pile.

"… What would happen if someone other than you were to take one of these?"

"Well… the dampening agent in the pill is like an added sedative to those who don't carry my particular strain of the condition." When Yukino merely frowned in response she elaborated. "The agent suppresses the emotional center of the brain, since rage or excitability is usually what triggers an attack. So I'm assuming that the worst that could happen is the person will grow lethargic and generally emotionless."

Now it was Natsuki's turn to frown.

"Why do you ask?"

Reito tapped at the space next to the pills.

"I was given a tin containing a pill similar if not the same as these," he explained.

"… Where did you get it?" Natsuki asked as she took in the quiet expressions from everyone.

"From me," Shizuru replied before anyone could say otherwise.

Natsuki turned and studied Shizuru for a long, hard moment. To her credit Shizuru failed to even blink under this scrutiny.

"How long have you been taking these?" Natsuki asked finally.

"… I don't know the exact time period, but long enough." Red eyes dimmed. "Perhaps a little less than a year. I wasn't fully aware of it until a day or so before Reito-han stopped by."

Mai took in the birth of a growing sense of anger that started to creep through Natsuki's control.

"But it's okay, isn't it?" Mai asked in an attempt to soothe her friend. She quickly backtracked when she realized what her statement could be construed as. "I mean, no, it's not okay, but you said so yourself that the pills aren't that harmful, just a double sedative."

Natsuki barely contained a growl.

"Maybe so, but drugging is still drugging." She turned back towards Shizuru. "Who gave them to you? It wasn't that green-haired maniac was it?"

Haruka snorted. "I wouldn't put it past that trollop to try anything to keep her sad ambitions afloat. I still say we should go knock her around the block a few more times for good measure."

"For once I'll agree with you," Natsuki said.

It was one thing to advocate violence as the answer for everything. Yukino figured that, while convenient and the best way to obtain immediate satisfaction for their situation, violence could land them into spending time getting to know their way around the Spartan delights of a jail cell. However, the consequences of using gratuitous violence paled in comparison to the bizarre spectacle of Suzushiro Haruka and Kuga Natsuki nearly high-fiving in their mutual desire to inflict massive damage on one Tomoe Marguerite.

"Does Marguerite-san know what is in these pills?" Yukino asked quickly in an attempt to derail this train of action.

"I honestly cannot answer that," Shizuru murmured. She appeared more amused then alarmed at the budding camaraderie developing. "However, I have reason to believe that she might. Otou-han once mentioned pills similar to these that his sister would take in the past in order to sleep through the night. He never elaborated on the topic and I chose not to ask."

"Knowing what's in these things or not doesn't excuse the moral breeches in behavior!" Haruka exclaimed with a fist to the table.

"Breach, Haruka-chan," Yukino corrected as Mai stared at the table warily.

"Someone's coming towards the restaurant!" Mikoto announced over the din.

Reito stood up and joined his sister by the window while the others grew quiet. Two pairs of golden eyes peered through the opening in the curtains and picked out several bulky figures tramping around in the snow-covered streets.

"Can you make something out?" Mai asked quietly.

"Not sure…" Reito turned towards Haruka. "I thought only the three of us were going to stop by."

Haruka and Yukino stood at once and joined Reito.

"Do you think someone followed us?" Yukino asked in a hushed whisper.

"I specifically ordered no one from the house to follow us," Haruka murmured. "No, that can't be it."

"Looks like four, maybe five people out there," Mikoto noted. "… Are they bad, Aniue?"

"I'm not sure yet, Mikoto."

"Well, I think we can take them." Mikoto began to count on her fingers. "There's you, me, Kaichou, Natsuki, and Suzushiro." She nodded in curt satisfaction. "We could definitely take them."

"Let's not get too hasty here," Reito replied as he heard the definitive smack of Haruka punching her hand into her palm. "We have yet to know if they are even coming by the café."

A flicker of movement attracted his attention and he peered out the window.

"… Oh dear," he murmured in a hushed voice.

He whirled around.

"Get back, NOW!"

Just as he got his warning out the window shattered as something small and black bounced onto the floor. They all stared at it for a very quiet second before Natsuki grabbed Shizuru and wordlessly began bolting towards the door. Reito was right behind her with Mai and Mikoto neatly tucked under his arms with Haruka bringing up the rear as Yukino merely wrapped her arms around her friend's waist and allowed herself to be dragged out.

They made it down the stairs in mutual silence that soon erupted as noise and fire engulfed the entire upper floor of the _Edelweiss _café. Haruka vaulted over the stairs to avoid getting hit by the explosion and landed on top of a table on both feet. Reito did not fare as well as he nearly rammed through the door with the momentum he picked up from running down the stairs as quickly as possible. Natsuki threw Shizuru onto the floor before covering her with her own body. Flames washed over them, but all Shizuru could feel was an overwhelming cold as great spikes of ice erupted from the ground floor. They stabbed through the flames and encased the two in a protective ring that fought down the fire as they melted.

"Are you alright?!" Natsuki asked over the chaos.

Shizuru nodded and Natsuki smiled before propping herself up. The two could see that the café was through. Fires were still spreading into the kitchen and even if the fire department came to douse them there would be little left. Shizuru stood and helped Natsuki up. They were still alive, though, and roughly unharmed.

A bestial scream came from the entryway to the café. Natsuki felt the beast within respond with a snarl of its own but she managed to stop herself short. They turned and blinked through the ashes. Natsuki only saw Reito sprawled out on the floor. Blood was quickly pooling from a nasty gash on his head. Mikoto was propped up against the door with her arm bent at an awkward angle. But what Shizuru saw was likened to a light switch being turned on for the first time. Mai let out another strangled scream that echoed into the night before it grew into an angry shriek that couldn't come from a human being. Shizuru let out a surprised cry and grasped onto her head with both hands before falling down to her knees. Natsuki stared at her in a rare moment of blind panic before slowly turning towards Mai.

The flames circled around her wrists and ankles slowly, making wide rings that soon contracted into smaller ones. At their distance it seemed as if they would char her but instead they continued their lazy dance around and around as she stood there and screamed into the café. Even as she sagged forwards she was still upright due to the dancing flames holding her aloft until she nearly floated in front of them. Mai let out a ragged gasp and her eyes opened, revealing an eerie glow beneath those amethyst orbs. Natsuki felt as if she was staring into a bitter, cruel mirror as Mai slowly landed on her feet. She looked down at Shizuru who seemed to be dealing as best as she could with an overload of two spirits invading her head.

"She's going to lose it," Shizuru muttered. "She's going to lose control over it."

Another bestial roar tore through their eardrums, this time accompanied by a spout of blue fire that neatly burned away the remains of the cash register. Haruka and Yukino made their way towards the melting ring of ice which still afforded some protection against the new fires.

"What is that?!" Haruka demanded while jabbing her finger towards the spectacle of blue fire.

_Kagutsuchi._

Natsuki looked down at Shizuru before kneeling and grasping her hands.

"Can you try calming her down?" Natsuki asked.

Shizuru shook her head. "Only you. No one else. She's too far gone now."

"And the medicine?" Natsuki mused.

"You wanna try stuffing bills down her throat when she's like that?" Haruka asked incredulously.

"Pills!" Yukino corrected over another roar of fire.

"Well, shit!" Natsuki turned and began to march towards Mai. "I'll just have to—"

"Oh, this is interesting."

She stopped. The child standing in front of her looked to be no more than eleven or twelve with a head of gravity-defying white hair that flicked upwards. His smile was too curved to be innocent and his eyes too observant to be naïve. He was dressed more like an adult than a child with his dark trousers and long coat over a white button-up shirt, further pointing towards his inherent status as being abnormal. However, she heard the shout come from Haruka and the more unnerving sound of Shizuru letting drawing in a surprised gasp. He was strange, but he was recognized and it was through that fact alone that caused Natsuki to become tense.

"I did not expect to find you here, Shizuru nee-chan," the boy said in a calm tone, as if the flames around him were a normal occurrence under his presence.

"What are you doing here, Nagi?" Shizuru asked as she stood with her hand remaining near her forehead.

"I was about to ask you the same question!" Nagi exclaimed with a happy hum. He turned back towards Mai. "She's beautiful, isn't she? Mai-hime, dancing in the flames of grief and loss. There is something wonderful about utter desolation." He clapped his hands and sighed. "But, now that you are here, I am presented with an interesting problem."

Mai sank to her knees and struggled through another wave of anger that lashed through her body. This time the scream that came from her was one of intense pain. Nagi failed to react to it, however, as he turned and faced Shizuru and Natsuki.

"Now, I'm sure you know how this goes. The sooner she is put under control, the better."

"Then you go do it!" Haruka ordered. "You seem to know what you're doing, Homura!"

Nagi held up his hands in a way that strongly reminded Natsuki of Reito.

"Now, now. It's not that easy. Nee-chan and her little wolf will know what I'm talking about. It will be a simple trade, that's all." He nodded towards Shizuru. "Right? After all, with the stunt you all pulled up in Sapporo, Tomoe has been running around foaming at the mouth and plotting to blow everyone up. Life has become rather stressful for Mashiro-chan and myself. Just be thankful, Suzushiro-san, that I haven't divulged the current location of my favorite uncle to her. It would have made my life much easier, you know."

His smile darkened into a smirk as he took in the betrayed expressions of those around him.

"Think of it as a blessing that you ran into me instead of her."

"No!" Natsuki nearly grabbed onto Nagi's collar to shake him but was restrained by a wary Shizuru. "There has to be another way. You aren't going back there, Shizuru!"

"I'm afraid then that I can't guarantee your friend's safety, or sanity for that matter," Nagi replied as he studied his older cousin.

Truth be told, he was a little disappointed that Shizuru wasn't the one completely losing her marbles in this wonderful wasteland. She would have been absolutely breathtaking, he mused.

Shizuru watched Mai's gradual losing of control with quiet crimson eyes. Mai looked up at her as she shook. Her violet eyes, so used to exhibiting joy, contained only pure fear. She could hear the voices tickle her mind and could see the flashes of memories not belonging to her. She shook her head. This was bad. If she stretched herself too thin there was no telling what could happen, especially if her link with Natsuki was broken in the process. Natsuki's control over Duran was remarkable but even she had her limits. That point she saw in play back at Sapporo. If they were all going to get out of this intact, she reasoned, she would have to accept her cousin's conditions. She frowned as she stared into those glassy eyes that carried only a hint of color. Right now the flames flicked a red hue over them that paled considerably in comparison to her own blood-red eyes. He was a liar and a trickster, but there was really only one choice now.

"Decide," Nagi said quietly. "You only have so much time."

* * *

AN: I have the feeling this could turn into one of those super-duper long sprawling epics where it turns into the adventure of the month, or a neatly-wrapped up piece within a few chapters. The former I enjoy reading a lot, the latter my fingers will enjoy typing a lot more, lol. Then again, the story tends to write itself after a while.


	12. Harness

Good evening, Author here. Thank you for your reviews and patience.

Mai-hime and related belong to Sunrise

* * *

**Harness**

Flames littered the immediate area where the _Edelweiss _café used to stand. Ashes rained down on the stainless steel appliances of the kitchen and littered the warped sections of the cash register. Tables were upturned and a general state of upheaval was blanketed by layers of blue and red flame. Tokiha Mai was in the middle of it all, slumped down to her knees and cradling her head as she spastically rocked back and forth. Fire licked her body in a wash of heat but her clothing and skin remained intact. The others stared at her with mixed emotions.

"I don't understand why she's reacting this badly," Natsuki muttered in a frustrated tone before turning towards their unwanted visitor. "You. You had something to do with this, didn't you?"

Nagi glared at her.

"Me? Out of everyone here I would have the_ least_ to do with anything involving Tokiha Mai," he argued with a flippant wave of his hand. "I only met the girl a week and a half ago. But you, my fine black wolf, you have been around her for years. Surely you are not so thick-headed as to ignore the poor troubles this girl has gone through?"

Natsuki pulled back and watched Mai. She knew. She wasn't so oblivious as to deny that behind that cheerful smile and can-do attitude there laid a bitter girl who wanted to be anything but.

Her brother was suffering from a heart condition and was in a hospital thousands of miles away, hopefully getting the transplant he needed. She held out on hope but Takumi had been abroad for nearly two years now. Her mother had died when she was a child, wasted away right in front of her before saying goodbye. Her father had abandoned them shortly after that. She managed to climb that mountain and shout her exuberance at the top of her lungs even as she worked her hands to the bone to keep herself afloat in this cold world. Deep down she shouldered her wordless regrets as Tate Yuichi, the one who said he would have loved her forever, got up and left much like her father had. It was turning into one vicious cycle of hope and regret.

These painful bricks mounted further and further up in Natsuki's thoughts and she shook her head roughly to clear them away. She was acutely aware of Nagi's knowing smile and wanted nothing more than to smash his face in with her fist. She held herself back with another shake of her head as she thought back on Nagi's words. That couldn't be everything in Mai's life. What of Mikoto and Reito? Natsuki could barely make their still forms out from the smoke.

_What about them? They could be dead for all we know._

Dead. A lifetime of tragic milestones was burning with blue fire and the high flames of hell had risen to retake their Queen. Even Nagi began to grow a little concerned as the flames began to grow towards them.

"I have to stop this," Natsuki muttered. "I have to stop her."

"And how would you do that, may I ask?" Nagi inquired with a curious tilt of his head. "Will you fight her? Kill her, even?"

"What? No!" Natsuki turned and grabbed the boy by the collar of his coat to bring him to her eye level. "Listen here, kid!"

"Kid?" Nagi repeated. He growled. "I'm fourteen, you big oaf—"

Natsuki gave him a smart shake and his head snapped back before he could finish his statement.

"This isn't some sick game where you can go and mess around with people to see if they'll break!" she snarled over his garbled protests. "Mai's going to go to the deep end soon and she's _never_ going to get out unless someone stops her."

"So… it's in your hands, then." Nagi placed a hand over her wrist. She was briefly surprised at how cold his fingers felt to the touch. "Go then, Kuga Natsuki. Become one with the monster within you. Leap into the fray and bury your fangs and claws into the night. You could stand maybe an hour with your phenomenal skills, but she will get you eventually. You know you won't be able to win when she does. The second she hits you with that blue flame, you'll die, plain and simple."

Nagi sighed in mild disappointment when he saw nothing but fierce rage and determination buried within Natsuki's good eye. The boy then decided to employ a different tactic. He gestured towards Shizuru and was rewarded when Natsuki flicked her gaze over towards her.

"Honestly, try not to place my cousin in any more duress than she already is," he said dolefully. "She's having a hard enough time trying to decide what to do without you running off on your own again."

He let out a yelp as his bottom encountered the frozen ground. Natsuki swallowed and turned to face Shizuru. She had yet to take her eyes off the fire that was starting to grow even larger in size. Haruka and Yukino weren't with them any longer—she had heard the boisterous call to arms from the blonde before she jetted out with Yukino still wrapped around her middle. It was just her, Shizuru, the brat, and a difficult choice.

"… Shizuru?"

Shizuru looked down at her cousin, Natsuki's whispered plea lost in the roar of the fire.

"Even if I did agree, how would you set about calming Mai-han down?" Shizuru asked in a low voice.

Nagi grumbled and hopped up to his feet.

"You would have to link with her for a few moments. Hopefully she'll take the bait in time for this."

He withdrew a capped syringe that was already filled with a clear liquid. He took in the distrust from Natsuki and frowned.

"Listen, I wouldn't want to poison her. This is just a concentrated form of the pills you took on a regular basis when you were growing up, Kuga-san. I dare say you even carry a pack with you in case something strange happens."

His was right, of course. Natsuki always carried a capped syringe similar to the one Nagi had produced. As she weighed her options Nagi shrugged and watched Mai once more. There was something strangely wistful about his sigh. But he straightened and shot Natsuki a glare when she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Nagi… I have a feeling you aren't being completely honest," Shizuru said.

"And you're observant, as always, nee-chan," Nagi replied. "But this is something that even _I_ couldn't get out of. Just… please."

Now Natsuki and Shizuru looked at the boy with identical expressions of surprise as he sighed once more. When he looked at Mai again there was a hint of remorse underneath his pinkish eyes.

"She's going absolutely insane in there. The dance is becoming a struggle to survive beneath that cumbersome beast. That Kagutsuchi." Nagi clucked his tongue in disapproval. "You know of the legend of Kagutsuchi, do you not?"

Shizuru nodded and Natsuki looked back at Mai.

"Are you saying that the spirit will try to kill her?" Natsuki asked. "That's unlikely. A spirit needs its medium to survive."

"Then, by all means, do try to negotiate with him," Nagi replied with a grand sweep of his hand. "I'm sure he'll listen to reason."

The sardonic tone was not lost on her but she offered no response to it. Shizuru shook her head.

"I'll go with you."

Natsuki turned and gaped.

"Shizuru, don't—"

"Natsuki!"

She stiffened as Shizuru's biting tone echoed in her mind. She had never, _never_ raised her voice like that. Shizuru seemed surprised herself but it quickly melted to a long-suffering patience when she took Natsuki by the hand.

"Do you see her, Natsuki?" Shizuru looked out towards Mai and Natsuki followed her gaze. "She is crying in there. Her heart is breaking in front of us. You are right, if we don't help her soon she will break from us and will never come back. Even if the method isn't the best, we have to help her."

"I'm not going to let you go again," Natsuki protested with a violent shake of her head. Her fingers curled around Shizuru's hands and squeezed desperately. "A year was too long, way too long."

"But you came back, Natsuki. You came back and you saved my father." Shizuru smiled a fond smile. "Now… let me do what I can to save your friend. No matter what, I will come back to you."

"… And if you can't?" Natsuki asked softly.

The smile never wavered and a hand came up to caress Natsuki's cheek. "You will just have to come get me, I suppose."

Shizuru pulled the girl in for a close hug and rested her chin on Natsuki's shoulder.

"Make a way for me," she whispered in Natsuki's ear. "Don't worry. Her flames shouldn't harm me if I touch her. Do this for me, Natsuki. For me."

Shizuru felt the muscles vibrate underneath her arms and she squeezed Natsuki tightly before loosening her grip.

"Go, Duran!"

Natsuki tore herself away from Shizuru's embrace as Duran's full-throated howl ripped from her throat. Shizuru could feel the silken fur against her fingertips before Duran left her touch. The wolf charged towards Mai as the eerie green glow from its eye lit a path through the darkness. Ice crept up to Mai's knees before her head snapped up towards the wolf. Her violet eyes registered the glow and responded with an unearthly glow of their own before she bared her teeth in an angry grimace. She threw her hands up and a jet of fire spewed out from her open palms. Duran barely dodged in time and threw up a wall of clear ice to stave off the intense heat. It melted within seconds. The wolf snorted its displeasure and looked around for another way to get close without trying to burn itself in the process.

Duran used the crumbling café as a vaulting point to kick off from the ruins and turn towards Mai. Ice gathered on its fur to form a sort of shield that spun into a sharp point when Duran twisted in mid-air. This ice drill was able to punch through the first two waves of flame as it regenerated with each turn from the abundant snow that picked up and molded itself into the cracks. The third wave crashed through the drill but Duran merely lowered its head as it bodily tackled into Mai, knocking her into a snow drift. In an instant the connection with Kagutsuchi was jarred, reducing the blue flames around her wrists and ankles to a much more manageable red.

Glittering ice and smoldering fire rained down onto the thick blanket of steam that had begun to linger on the ground. It was getting a little hard to breathe but Duran gladly went along with it. Anything was better than the searing heat of those flames. This momentary salvation from the choking fires enabled Duran to pin Mai's arms down with its large paws as its heavy hind paws buried her legs into the snow. Mai—Kagutsuchi—glared up at Duran. The snow was rapidly beginning to melt and Duran could feel the heat attempting to blister its paws as Kagutsuchi attempted to work its way back up to the outside world. Before Mai could kick the wolf off she felt a pair of hands caress her face. Shizuru's eyes were closed and if it weren't for the slight dip in her brow she would have made a perfect picture of serenity. She rested one hand on Mai's forehead and gently ran her fingers across one cheek in slow, calm strokes.

Duran began to back away when it felt the fire leaving Mai's limbs. Steam emanated from its paws as it contacted the snow once again. The wolf backtracked, sending slow tendrils of ice over the remaining fires. During its meandering Duran bumped into a soot-covered body. After turning it over Duran registered the unconscious form of Reito. The cut above his forehead had since slowed its bleeding and other than the nasty bump he would gain he was otherwise unharmed. Mikoto, likewise, was alive with what seemed to be a dislocated elbow. Duran receded and Natsuki remerged relatively intact in the winter's wasteland. She studied the awkward angle of Mikoto's arm and quickly set the elbow back into its proper place. Mikoto jumped in her unconscious state but did not wake up.

_Alive. That's good._

The control that had blanketed her mind with a hazy comfort was receding in favor of Duran's rage at being called back so soon. She reached into the pocket of her pants and extracted a small silver case. Inside was a syringe markedly similar to the one Nagi carried with him. She rolled up her sleeve, uncapped the syringe, and emptied its contents into her arm. Almost immediately she felt a syrupy sensation of the medicine interacting with the beast's protests. It trickled down her mind and began to disable the switch that connected Duran's struggles with her own. The wolf panicked under this familiar feeling but soon even that rare emotion was lost in the wash of medication. Natsuki watched on in a daze as Mai jerkily sat up and began to draw Shizuru into her arms. A memory from years ago tickled the edges of her mind.

"_When we make our connections, Natsuki, the only way I can establish a strong enough bond is through touch."_

_A pause. "Touch? Like holding hands or something?"_

_A giggle. "Or something, sometimes."_

"… _This isn't some sort of excuse to grope me at will, is it?"_

"_Ara, Natsuki, you make it sound as if it's some sort of punishment."_

_Laughter again, this time from the two of them. Easy, trivial laughter joined by the joining of hands and simple caresses._

It was a punishment to watch this. It was a punishment to watch Mai rake her fingernails against Shizuru's back in that impossibly close embrace. It trampled all over the line of courteous friendship that the two shared. Thin red lines trickled and stained the older girl's back from the force. Shizuru winced but kept her hold even as Mai's fingers nearly buried themselves into her upper back. It was punishment, but she merely stood and watched with her molasses-ridden brain and a curious silence from Duran. Soon enough the fires that Kagutsuchi called upon dwindled and the only disturbance came from the ragged sobbing of the newly-resurfaced Mai. Even that soon ceased when Nagi quietly injected the sedative into her. The boy took off his coat and laid Mai's body down on top of it before closing his coat around her as best as he could. Shizuru watched his ministrations and sighed as she stood and walked over towards Natsuki.

Rubies and emeralds passed by each other once before connecting. Shizuru could see that Natsuki was already withdrawn into her own mental prison and she closed her eyes in pain. There was no link there. Duran was mired in the medicine and Natsuki would register next to nothing now.

"Nee-chan. We need to get going."

Sirens echoed in the night, followed closely by the sound of vehicles racing towards them. Shizuru stared at Natsuki for one long moment before she reached up. She tucked several wayward strands of dark hair past her ear and clipped something silver above them to keep them in place. The unnerving silence brought with it a light gathering of snow that soon grew into heavy flakes. Shizuru grasped onto Natsuki's face with both hands before drawing close.

"I love you," she whispered.

Something flickered beneath Natsuki's eyes but there was no response. Shizuru felt something try to reach out to her and heard snatches of a mournful howl enter her mind but all was lost by the more immediate roar of the storm that was now picking up around them. Nagi waited patiently with his hands stuffed in his pockets despite the drop in temperature and his lack of a coat. His gaze never left the empty eyes of the lone wolf even as the cousins slowly disappeared within the blizzard.

_I'm sorry_.

* * *

The Suzushiro mansion was unusually quiet. Usually the mansion was alive with the hustle and bustle of workers but today most of had been called off to take a break with only the most dedicated staff on hand. They knew little of the reason behind the dark cloud that had cast itself over the mansion but nonetheless they continued their work in respectful silence. One would have thought that with such a dire setback the young mistress of the mansion would have torn the entirety of Fuuka apart in her quest for vengeance. Curiously enough there was nothing of the sort going on. Instead, Haruka had holed herself up in her room with Yukino and her terminal of computers, leaving a false sense of peace in place of impassioned exuberance. Answers to their problems eluded them and they hadn't slept in days, which only added to their stony silence.

The mansion had gained several new occupants for the time being. The residential ward housed three comatose patients and one drugged-up individual who merely spent her time sitting in a chair in an otherwise sparsely-furnished room that had been used for little else. Her eyes were trained to the window as she stared out in a sort of daze. Periodically she would turn over the silver hair clip in her hands to run her fingers across the stylized winged shape of it. Most of the time she sat in the lone wooden chair and waited in the quiet room. After an unsuccessful attempt to rile Natsuki up in some form of action, Haruka shook her head and tried to coax her other guests into some form of consciousness to get an answer out of them. Anything would do for now, just so she could get her own doubts purged and finally have a plan of action going instead of arriving too late to everything on hand. It was to no avail. The doctors informed her in grave tones that it would take at least several days for any of them to wake up, which left Haruka to ransack the kitchen in another snack attack. Yukino left her friend to fend off her stress and decided to go to the abandoned room down the hall from the makeshift infirmary. As an afterthought she doubled back and poured out a glass of water before leaving the kitchen once more.

She raised a hand to knock but decided against it and simply turned the doorknob. Yukino walked in and closed the door behind her with her free hand. There was no acknowledgement of her presence but she hadn't been expecting any. The two rarely spoke in general and now they shared a mutual yet tense silence as Natsuki continued to stare out the window with empty eyes. Yukino sighed at the lack of change but she remained optimistic as she set a glass of water down at the table beside the chair. She noticed the orange bottle filled with pills and frowned. For a second she thought of taking them, but if everything Natsuki had explained to them before was true, she decided she couldn't risk it.

_Still… She's so dead inside._

"I'm sure that no matter what, Fujino-san will be safe," she said quietly. "Please… stay with us, Kuga-san."

Natsuki offered no response, as was expected, but Yukino left the room with a heavy heart. They had been beaten by an anomaly, something that should not have conceivably happened, but it happened nonetheless and now they were worse off than when they started when everyone was apart. Yukino returned to her room and pushed the door closed as she leaned against it. Instead of returning to her waiting computers she laid her glasses at the table, trudged over to her bed and fell on it face-first. She gripped a fistful of the sheets and suddenly pounded on the mattress before she shuddered. The screens went from their screen savers to shutting off as the computers went to sleep.

Haruka walked in with a plate of crackers but promptly set them down when she heard only the soft hum of the machines in sleep. For a moment she looked around in mild panic that eased when she saw Yukino on the bed. With a heavy sigh she stood beside her friend and awkwardly patted her back in some attempt to comfort her. When there was no change Haruka sighed and decided to sit down on the bed beside her. Soon her hand settled at the base of Yukino's neck where her fingernails gently scratched at the younger girl's scalp. They said nothing and preferred to keep it that way as Yukino slowly drifted off to sleep. Haruka sighed wistfully but she knew that she couldn't go to sleep just yet. Any of them could wake up now, she reasoned as she snuck over to the bedside table and pulled on the drawer. From her secret stash came a plastic-wrapped curry bread that she popped open before munching on the snack. Yukino turned over and Haruka laid a protective hand over her head as she ate in the stillness.

The silence had now settled in a thick, choking fog, bringing with it a noticeable taint of despair.

Shigeru was used to this silence. The Fujino mansion in Kyoto was a bastion of quiet, after all. One could clearly hear the trickle of the outdoor garden's pond from a mile away on an especially pleasant day. As the butler and maids ushered around in mirrored silences in this bizarre, backwards world of the Suzushiro mansion he merely sat and watched the snow fall from the sky from his vantage point at the window.

The door knocked twice and he turned as it opened to reveal a stern-looking man around his age. The imposing man standing before Shigeru looked down at him with piercing blue eyes and a firm frown. Despite being a year or so younger, Suzushiro Jinpei did not age as gracefully as Shigeru. His hair was now mostly gray but it retained a slightly tousled look that strongly reminded Shigeru of a shorter version of a lion's mane. His frown lines and the dark skin beneath his eyes probably had something to do with the stress and strain of his former occupation as a gritty construction worker before he struck big with a fledgling construction company. Jinpei was an honest, blunt man. He had little time to defer to old money and was not above showing distrust towards those who flaunted their familial assets. Shigeru and the Fujino family in general illustrated the very concept of old money. They could not have been on more opposite sides of the spectrum, yet Jinpei would begrudgingly admit that Shigeru was one of his most trustworthy partners. Some of the moral discrepancies that Shigeru exhibited were mostly ignored in light of this, but right now his gaze showed nothing but contempt.

"So I see you've charged into the fray without any thought towards the consequences, as usual," Jinpei began in his gravely voice.

"You know, I always wondered where Haruka gets her exuberance from," Shigeru replied in a light tone. "She couldn't have learned it from doom-and-gloom Jinpei over here."

Jinpei's brow twitched but he failed to fall for the bait. In another time, perhaps, Jinpei would have raised his voice into a shout, and Shigeru's lips would curl into a pleased smile over his successful attempt. Then the two would have fallen into their familiar patterns of baiting-and-switching until one or the other grew tired of it. It was just one of their many games. Jinpei shook his head.

_Games, games._

He snorted impatiently.

_Only those with nothing to lose and everything to wager can afford to play these kinds of games._

"I heard Kyoko was back from France," Jinpei said, deciding to go straight to the topic at hand.

Shigeru made a gun out of the forefinger and thumb of his right hand and pretended to shoot Jinpei with it.

"Bang." A crooked smile appeared on his face as his hand dropped. "Always the straight shooter Jinpei, aren't you? Alright, yeah, Kyoko is here."

"Did the two of you talk?"

Shigeru gave his colleague a strange look.

"Her kid shot me." To emphasize he undid the buttons of his shirt and let Jinpei see the bandages wound around his torso. "I'm sure we talked enough."

"Ah. And let me guess… Same-old, same-old? I'm sure Kyoko was happy to see you after all those years in exile and the countless kicks out the door she received from your father."

"You're a comedian today, Jinpei. And right, as always."

Jinpei folded his hands behind his back and stared out the window.

"It's all just another game to you, isn't it?" Jinpei asked finally.

"According to Kyoko it's been the same game over the years," Shigeru replied with an even tone.

"Even when it involves your only child it's still a game," Jinpei countered harshly as he turned and faced Shigeru. His voice grew louder. "Even when it involved your wife, it was a game! What is the matter with you, Fujino?"

"What, indeed," Shigeru muttered.

The bed sheets bunched up under his hands as he closed them into fists but Jinpei ignored it in favor of continuing his tirade.

"Explain to me, Fujino, because I'm not sure I understand. I don't think I ever did understand. You and your sister initiated some sick form of amusement to entertain yourselves, only to bring Kiyo into your fold in some attempt to bring up the stakes when you decided that marrying the girl would piss Kyoko off. Only, you managed to fall in love and even have a child before she passed on. And yet, this game between the two of you continued on and on, bringing in so many people that I don't even know who is with who and what is even going on anymore."

Jinpei paused to breathe before he turned and jammed a finger in Shigeru's direction.

"But you! You sit here in my house with a bullet wound and that _damn_ smile of yours. What the hell do you find so funny about this situation?"

"What do I find so funny?" Shigeru repeated. His fingers touched the corners of his lips and he realized for the first time that he was smiling. "What do I find funny…"

"Kiyo was my friend, the only real one I had growing up," Jinpei continued in a fraction of his previous volume. "She made me promise that I would try to be cordial to you when she was gone. But you are reaching the end of my patience, Fujino. If it weren't for Kiyo's insistence I would have cut off any ties with you a long time ago."

"She looks like Kiyo, doesn't she?" Shigeru replied. "Except for the eyes. Those are my eyes, Fujino eyes. I bet you wish she had Kiyo's eyes, so that when you look at her you aren't reminded of my cursed family."

Jinpei roughly ran a hand through his hair in an exasperated swipe.

"Curses and games, curses and games. Is that really the only thing you can think of saying at a time like this?" Jinpei asked with a tired sigh.

"I wish she had Kiyo's eyes too," Shigeru continued, seemingly oblivious to Jinpei. "Maybe if she did then she would've been spared this agony."

"Stop this," Jinpei barked. "You aren't making any sense, Fujino. There's no such thing as a curse running in your family. We all have a choice in whether or not we want to do something for ourselves. Obviously you never learned that lesson when growing up."

"Oh? And what have you learned from your humble background, Suzushiro Jinpei?"

"All I can tell you is that no matter what, there is a consequence to your actions. And you know that already, Fujino."

Jinpei turned to go but was stopped when Shigeru took in a deep breath.

"Kyoko wanted so badly to be a part of our lives, Jinpei. She wanted to live up in the sunlight and grow as a beautiful, capable lady of the Fujino family. That's not much to ask for, is it?"

"… I would suspect not."

Shigeru nodded to himself. "No, it's not much at all. So when that ailment came, when she started to turn into something we couldn't understand, we threw her into that room in the corner of the mansion. You remember that room. The chain room."

Jinpei closed his eyes.

"I was five when I first saw what it was that made Kyoko live in the darkness of the Fujino mansion. I never quite looked her in the eye after that. Over time she got better with the doctors and the pills, but something had left her that we would never retrieve. And what took its place fed on our doubts and insecurities, on our anger and jealousy. She fed on it, and wanted more."

Shigeru sighed.

"You know, I don't really think you understand, Jinpei. I had to play these games with her. She was struggling inside, dying, even. I hated her for that condition of hers and she probably hated me just the same, but all she ever wanted to do was be normal."

He laughed tonelessly.

"Normal. What's so great about that? Anyway… So we played games, messed around with each other. She wanted attention and I decided that it wasn't so bad to give it to her."

"But what you did was wrong, Fujino, no matter how you look at the reason behind it," Jinpei stressed. "Kiyo didn't deserve—"

"You shut your mouth!" Shigeru roared, momentarily shocking Jinpei.

"Kiyo knew about all of this," the man continued in halting tones as he tried to rein himself in. "Don't belittle me, Suzushiro. I may be what you call a gloriously rich bastard but I loved her and I never lied to her."

Jinpei remained quiet as Shigeru fixed him with a loathsome glare.

"Yes, I know how you think," Shigeru snarled out venomously. "You think that all my family has to offer is perverse behavior and no morals whatsoever. And maybe you're right, maybe we're a worthless bunch of psychos with too much money and not enough vices to spend them on. There is nothing else in the world that will say otherwise and quite frankly I don't care what they think about me or Shizuru as long as we are alive and well. But you're wrong in thinking that we are not cursed."

Shigeru winced but he was too angry to stop his tirade. Jinpei watched on in mute concern as his colleague clenched his jaw. This was not what usually happened, Jinpei noted with quiet alarm. Usually it was him losing his temper, not the other way around. Shigeru seemed to pick up on his uneasiness and he lifted his chin towards the standing man. His lips curled into a sneer.

"We are cursed, but not in some mythical manner like you may like to think. We're cursed in that, with all these riches and privileges, we will lose what we regard as our most important thing."

The rage that glimmered beneath those maple-red eyes fixed Jinpei to the floor by the sheer clarity of the emotion.

"Suzushiro, you can go to bed at night knowing that your wife is safely in bed beside you and that your Haruka will wake up to see another sunrise and her best friend waiting for her. You could have nothing and you would still go to bed feeling safe."

Another laugh tumbled out of Shigeru's lips, hollow and dark.

"But me? My sister? We will lose everything. We _have_ lost everything. We will go to bed in our rich mansions in any exotic location and hope that the sun never does rise again to remind us that we've already lost something we'll never get back. Her daughter is already unable to be called back from her path in life."

"And Shizuru?" Jinpei asked quietly.

"Shizuru… Shizuru has already accepted her fate." Shigeru shook his head. "You can't fight what's already inside of you. Everything will eventually amount to nothing."

"That girl that Shizuru used to talk about doesn't seem to think that," Jinpei pointed out.

"Kuga?" Shigeru asked. At Jinpei's nod he shrugged. "She's a good kid. She'd probably fight anything. But that's not enough."

"It's not?"

Jinpei opened the door to the room. Before stepping out he turned and looked at Shigeru, who was now back to staring out the window.

"You know, Fujino. That Kuga reminds me a lot of you when you thought you could fight off destiny. A brawler who kept getting up no matter what, just fighting for something worth fighting for."

"What good did that do?" Shigeru asked hollowly. "From what I heard she's incapacitated and will probably give up now that Shizuru willingly went back. Kyoko has all the pieces in her hands and we have nothing to combat her with."

"I don't think she will give up," Jinpei replied firmly. "She gained and she lost, but she isn't bound by your games or your curses."

He paused as he turned back towards the door.

"… Maybe she'll succeed where you failed, Shigeru."

* * *

For the first time in twenty-four hours, Natsuki's eyes traveled to somewhere other than the window. The glass of water had been left over to sit next to the bottle of pills that she had periodically swallowed dry in order to keep herself in check. This time she trained her gaze towards the glass—more specifically to the water within the glass.

The glass began to frost as the water in it started to grow colder and colder. Her brow tensed and she tilted her head slightly as she concentrated. Duran likewise remained quiet and concentrated on the water. Soon it froze into a pristine block of clear ice with no imperfections. Natsuki exhaled slowly as she reached over for the glass. The numbing cold failed to bother her as she handled the glass with both hands and wiped off the condensation that began to build on the glass as it contacted the warmer air around it. Her hands closed around the frozen glass and she squeezed.

Diamond dust exploded from her hands, spraying towards her face and chest. As the sparkling mixture of ice and glass fell to the carpet she stood and stared at her hands. The glass had made super-fine cuts into her palms and soon blood oozed out in slow rivulets. Natsuki stared in apparent fascination at the sight before she let her hands fall numbly to her sides. She pushed the door to the room open with a bloodied palm before stepping out into the dim lights of the hall. The lone butler straightened from his task of shining a light fixture to acknowledge the haggard young woman standing before him. She gave him a rough, jerky nod and he bowed in response.

"Shall I escort you to the bathroom, Kuga-sama?"

"Kuga is fine." She was slightly surprised at how rough her voice sounded. "And yes, thank you."

After nearly an hour she emerged from the bathroom to find a neatly-laundered suit and a small roll of white bandages laid out for her. She carefully pulled on the clothes and wrapped the bandages around her hands and wrists. After an experimental flex of her fingers she rolled up the sleeves of her shirt and loosened the tie of her suit to unbutton the top button of the collar. The silver hairclip was all that remained. She stared at it before putting it into her vest pocket.

The medicine was beginning to recede, but strangely Duran was not taking an opportunity to find a way out of his confinement. Instead he sat on his haunches and waited. Natsuki decided to do the same. She walked into the sitting room and took a seat next to the fireplace before folding her hands in front of her. The flames eagerly devoured the logs she tossed in and sent up appreciative sparks in response. She pointed a finger towards the flames and narrowed her eyes. Slowly the logs were covered in an encasement of ice that crawled up to the fire itself. As she watched the imprisoned flames eat away at the ice, a plan slowly began to form in her mind. Her lips twitched and she leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees.

It was crazy, she knew that. There was a very good chance that she wouldn't come back alive. Even if she had help, success could be costly. It didn't matter too much. There was a chance it could work, and that was all that really mattered.

* * *

AN: Whew.

Mai's despair: She did cry a lot in Mai-hime from what I recalled. I thought about it, and I reasoned that if I took away the fantasy elements of the show and just focused on the here and now, per say, Mai had a pretty rough life and still managed to keep truckin'. Getting slammed with that much destruction would've set anyone off, lol.

About Jinpei's characterization: The Suzushiro family was not always rich, and richness tends to be a product of hard work and shrewdness rather than dumb luck (except with lottery wins, but that's besides the point). Therefore I thought it would make more sense that Haruka's father was not exuberant to the point of making a fool out of himself.

Also, is it bad that I already have an idea for another fic before finishing this one? Lol...


	13. Red Queen's Ascent

Good afternoon, Author here. Thanks for the sudden surge in reviews, lol :D

I'm not sure if people already know this, but here's a brief note: Oba-san means Aunt. The reason I put this here is because a friend of mine and I went into a somewhat heated debate over it until I retrieved a dictionary and pointed out that "Grandmother" has another "a" attached.

Mai-hime and related belong to Sunrise

* * *

**Red Queen's Ascent  
**

The Fujino Office in Fuuka erupted into a flurry of work as the assigned maids busily prepared for the arrival of their mistress. Tomoe noted this new surge in activity and frowned. She turned around in her office chair and stared out towards the open door to her office as she rested her chin on her palm. The back of her head was still pounding from the unforeseen beating she took several days ago but a couple of painkillers took care of that pain within the hour. She grimaced as she reached over and dug through her desk drawers. The white plastic bottle sounded hollow when she gave it an experimental shake, which lead to another search. It wasn't the physical pain that had been bothering her at all over the past few days. She had grown more occupied over the continuous questions about just what exactly had knocked her out that night.

She remembered black fur, lots of it, curiously dense yet soft to the touch. Her hand had shook from dumping a cartridge earlier into her uncle but now it stung when she had whipped the pistol around to shoot the rest of the bullets into the rushing mass of fur and claws. It was like attempting to use a cap gun to stop a speeding train. The wolf only lowered its head and charged. It had been incredibly cold during the few moments leading up to her unconsciousness, and ice crystals tinged with blood had danced over the creature's fur coat when it barreled into her. The lone green eye and fantastically sharp set of teeth was probably the last thing she saw until the back of her head collided with the ground.

After that, her memory grew a little hazy as her head pounded and struggled to make some sense out of what had happened. There were some snippets and flashes of light and color mixed in about her journey back to the area office in Fuuka, accompanied with being shoved some painkillers and told to keep away from strenuous activity. She briefly recalled that she had spent the past couple of days clutching onto the pills and screaming herself hoarse towards the remaining men who even bothered to report to duty when the club bombing incident fully came to light. No one was seriously injured from her escapades around the office, however. She wasn't too fond of being in even deeper trouble than she already was.

She stared at the memo placed on her desk earlier by her assistant and immediately she felt worse. A second bottle was found lying underneath several papers that she had yet to read through. The pill bottle was ransacked for another pair of blue pills that jangled as they exited the plastic container and into her palm. With practiced ease she dumped the pills into her mouth and drank from a ready glass of water. She pulled the memo off of the desk calendar and read it once more before crumpling it up and tossing it into the garbage bin along with the rest of the sticky notes that had littered her desk. With a sigh she leaned back against the chair and stared at the ceiling. For a moment she considered going outside for a much-needed nicotine boost but decided against it—her mother was not fond of the smell of cigarette smoke.

_This is the pits. _

She knew she would be in for it if her mother learned the news that Fujino Shigeru had been held captive in Sapporo for almost a year following an almost fatal car chase up and down Fuuka's winding roads. Now, this trouble would grow tenfold when she would also learn that he had been shot point-blank and could have died from the unfortunate incident. Tomoe counted her growing list offenses that concerned things other than Fujino Shigeru and finally threw up her hands in exasperation. She shook her head. It wasn't exactly her fault that she let the gun fire. Having someone barrel through at top speed was enough for anyone to get itchy trigger fingers. Tomoe sighed and shrugged to herself as she attempted to give out a mental pep talk. It was already over. What was done was done. There was really no use in going over it in fine detail and agonizing over the outcome. Still, her mother had called her in for a meeting, and she knew better than to refuse.

Tomoe took a leisurely walk over towards the larger executive office that had once been occupied by Fujino Shigeru. She opened the doors without warning and marched in through the empty secretary's quarters before pushing the main doors open. The room was furnished more for function than anything else. Bookcases filled with rare volumes littered one wall, leading up to the massive executive desk. John Smith stood near the right of the desk with his hands folded behind his back. He watched her through narrowed eyes but offered no greeting. It was just as well, she thought as she sent him a sneer. It was partially his fault that she had been called here in the first place. Several comfortable chairs were scattered in front of the desk. She really wanted to sit down. It would have hidden her shaking knees and given her some recovery time, at least. It was a matter of politeness, however. She had simply not been offered a seat and she doubted she would be granted a reprieve. Therefore she remained standing as the executive chair swiveled around to reveal her mother in a contemplative pose.

The pupils of her mother's eyes had been in snake-like slits for as long as she could remember. She failed to question the oddity of it and had even wished for them in the same wistful manner that most children wished for things beyond their grasp. Even as she grew and learned the reason behind the strange shape, she merely shrugged and went along with it. Her mother's eyes had always given off a sense of long-suffering patience. It was hard to see who would deny the calm wit and composed nature of Kyoko Marguerite. They were the victims here, Tomoe would recall. If it wasn't for the family's arrogance her mother would have been able to live the privileged life she deserved. She pushed these thoughts away as her mother's eyes centered on her.

"You've been a busy child, Tomoe," Kyoko commented quietly.

Tomoe blinked in sudden confusion. Something about that voice didn't sound right. There was no quiet acceptance behind them. Instead of being amused Kyoko sounded disappointed. This was an unexpected emotion and for a moment Tomoe found that her mind went curiously blank. Soon the girl let her gaze drop to the floor before picking back up to meet unwavering silver eyes.

"I was only going through with what we had agreed upon," Tomoe replied in a slightly hesitant tone.

She licked her suddenly dry lips when she received no response at first. Smith casually took off his glasses and began to clean them with a cleaning cloth he procured from his jacket pocket. She focused briefly on this action before mentally shaking her head and shifting her attention back to her silent mother.

_Back straight, eyes level. Don't falter._

She repeated this mantra over and over as she inwardly shook under those exotic eyes. Kyoko studied her for another agonizing minute before folding her hands out in front of her.

"I see. You were following up on what we had spoken of." Suddenly those eyes narrowed. "Tomoe, you have a good memory for words. I would hope so, anyway. You are my child after all."

Tomoe nodded stiffly, unsure as to where this conversation was going.

"Since you have such a good memory, I will ask you a question. Several questions, in fact."

Kyoko tilted her head slightly.

"… During these talks we have had in the past, was 'spending the Fujino fortune until the coffers were bone-dry' a part of the agenda?"

When Tomoe shook her head Kyoko raised an eyebrow.

"I haven't? Well, that's something. Last month's expenditures seem a little outrageous then."

"The money was necessary to cover a few things, but I will admit that I went a little too far with spending the family fortune. It won't happen again," Tomoe said methodically, as if she was reciting a passage from a book.

Kyoko waved a dismissive hand, indicating little concern over that point. Tomoe was about to heave a sigh of relief when Kyoko spoke again.

"And when, exactly, have I explicitly told you to hurt my brother?"

Her brother. It was never "your uncle" or even "Fujino Shigeru." It had always been and would always be her brother. That soft, almost reverent tone of voice had never been used on her father or even herself—only towards the Fujino family, the same family that had ostracized her in the past. Tomoe clenched her jaw but remained standing even as she was pinned by her mother's studious gaze.

"It was regrettable," Tomoe began, only to be cut off with a disapproving sigh.

"Regrettable?" There was a quiet scoff that rang in Tomoe's ears. "Which part, Tomoe? The part where you disobeyed my orders not once, but _twice_? Or is it the part where you failed to even grasp your purpose?"

Tomoe failed to reply as she stared up at her mother's cold eyes.

"Don't think I did not hear of your little jaunt around Fuuka a year ago and your subsequent attempt at a cover up. Had Smith not reported to me about your wild antics up and down Japan, I would have taken your initial report as it were."

Tomoe did not hide the glower at the mention of her supposed advisor. Smith's lips twitched and he tucked his cleaning cloth back into his pocket, but there was no real acknowledgement of the dirty look she sent his way. No wonder her mother had come back to Japan at the first possible chance—the weasel had ratted her out.

_Probably for some sort of deal, or money, even._

Her lips curled into a sneer as she took in his nonchalant actions. Kyoko appeared to ignore the undisguised malice when she continued.

"That would have been a forgivable albeit somewhat overzealous action, but not anymore, especially with the further development over you drugging your own cousin to maintain her silence before attempting to silence my brother permanently. Not only did you take out a gun in a very delicate situation, you used it on him."

"I had no choice!" Tomoe blurted out suddenly. "When he rammed into me my finger slipped and the gun went off! There was no stopping it. I didn't mean—"

"You didn't?" Kyoko asked musingly. "You didn't mean… what, exactly?"

"I didn't meant to hurt him," Tomoe finished lamely.

"… I did not raise a liar."

Tomoe stiffened as Kyoko stood. Despite their similar facial structure and eyes, Kyoko passed more easily as a timeless Fujino beauty than as the mother of the sharper-featured Tomoe Marguerite. Kyoko's eyes even had a sheen to them that made Tomoe's own eyes look muddled and tarnished in comparison.

"I don't think I raised a liar," Kyoko continued mostly to herself as she walked towards her daughter. "But I also thought that I did not raise a barbaric individual with a lack of self-control. Here I am, proven wrong."

Kyoko paused and turned towards Smith.

"What do you think, Smith?"

"Ma'am?"

She gestured towards Tomoe with a dismissive wave of her fingers.

"Of this situation, Smith. What do you think we are now up against due to this… unfortunate development?"

Tomoe looked on in mute disbelief as Kyoko awaited Smith's reply. Smith merely shook his head while he studied the dumbstruck girl in front of him.

"We are in a delicate situation, ma'am. It is fortunate that Miss Fujino was escorted back to us by young Homura, but that will not change the fact that Mister Fujino and his associates will retaliate, especially if Mister Suzushiro is inclined to act on this. Regardless, we should not have acted so outrageously in the past. Perhaps if we had gone through this a little more carefully, this particular situation would have been averted."

Despite his wording Tomoe was duly aware that he had been directing his all-inclusive statements solely onto her. Kyoko seemed satisfied with his explanation and gave him a nod.

"I see. Thank you, Smith."

When Smith nodded and retreated back to his corner Kyoko fixed her daughter with another critical gaze.

"Do you understand now, Tomoe? This would not have happened if you hadn't acted so out of line."

This was too much. Tomoe's mouth seemed to agree with her thoughts but before she could rein the words in they flew out of her mouth.

"Wasn't this about revenge?"

Kyoko raised an eyebrow but failed to comment as Tomoe frowned.

"You spoke for years about revenge, mother. Revenge over the Fujinos that did you wrong, that ostracized you for something beyond your control. That was all you ever spoke of."

She sent a desperate glance towards her mother.

"Revenge is about getting back at those who did you wrong, isn't it? What was wrong with what I did? I did what was necessary to ensure your interests, mother."

A wild noise tore from her throat as she expressed her frustration with a childish stomp of her foot.

"What was wrong with what I did?!"

Kyoko reacted in a split second. Tomoe felt her head snap towards the side from the force of the smack that went across her cheek. She touched the swelling skin and stared back at her mother in mute shock.

"Do not even _attempt_ to assume that you are acting in my interests," Kyoko seethed. "Are you so mired in your own delusions that you cannot even understand what you have done?"

"Then you explain it," Tomoe snarled.

"I've heard some things," Kyoko continued in a more even tone as she lifted her chin and peered down at her daughter. "I've heard that you have been a little too obsessed with Shizuru. Beautiful girl, isn't she? She looks almost like her mother, but with my brother's eyes. Anyone would be captivated by her, and from what I have heard she has attracted a huge following. But your eyes have been lingering a little too long on her, haven't they?"

This was an uneasy change of topic, one that Tomoe had not been fully prepared to discuss with her mother, of all people. Tomoe cradled her bruising cheek and tried to discern some purpose out of her mother's emotionless stare.

"… I don't see what your point is," Tomoe muttered tersely.

Kyoko's lips formed a thin-lipped smile.

"You have forgotten your purpose here, Tomoe. Since you have been so wrapped up in such fantasies that your cousin would even look at you in the same manner, you would stop at nothing to have her for yourself. But you forget, Tomoe, you forget that you are here under my good graces. You are not here to have your way with my family's wealth and beauty."

Kyoko grabbed onto her daughter's neck and drew the shorter girl up to eye-level. For the first time, Tomoe felt nothing but fear as she stared into the silvery snake-eyes her mother possessed. This conversation had gone from unnerving to downright wrong, in her opinion.

"You don't even deserve to be here, surrounded by these opportunities," Kyoko hissed in a warning tone. "Remember that you are a Marguerite, _not_ a Fujino."

Something strange and heavy fell from Tomoe's throat down to her stomach. She would never be up to her mother's expectations, no matter how long she slaved away at this form of amusement her mother had carefully built over the years. Kyoko impassively watched her daughter's conflicting emotions and attempt to analyze just what this sinking sensation was. Tomoe's feet finally planted themselves back onto the solid floor when she was released from her hold. Kyoko gave her one last look before she turned around.

"Think about that, and when you have cooled your head return to me."

With that, she was dismissed. Tomoe turned and stiffly marched out of the office and back towards her own. As she walked down the quiet hallways she looked up and caught sight of her cousins as they walked towards her. Nagi shot her an unreadable look and Shizuru looked ahead with pursed lips. Their paces slowed for only a fraction of a second as the two opposing forces passed one another. Time sped back up to normal and Tomoe tore her gaze away from the two before nearly running towards her office.

She opened the door roughly and walked in before pushing the door shut with her back. She took in a deep, steadying breath that slowly trickled out into a shaky sigh before her head tilted back. It was only when the door was safely closed and locked behind her that she finally let loose. With a rough swing the desk was cleared of papers and glass shards flew in all directions as drinking cups fell to the floor. A lamp that had been left on now careened towards the wall and shattered into glass and plastic, dropping a cloak of darkness in the room. The next thing to go was the books as they tumbled out of the bookshelves when Tomoe aimed a wild swipe towards their general direction. When the papers ripped and fluttered around, she heaved in a breath and screamed until she grew hoarse from the effort. Her fists pounded on the desk to ebb away the last of her anger. Soon, her stiff and shaking hands simply pushed against the dents in the wood as she struggled to grasp onto herself. A brief cry fell from her lips and her shoulders shook as she slid down onto the floor.

The minutes ticked by impassively as Tomoe sat there in that disorganized pile with her arms wrapped around herself. The distant ticking faded in the back of her mind, slowly being replaced by the sight of comfortably familiar maple-red eyes. Those calm eyes and that enchanting voice had gotten her through those boring days running around the Kyoto mansion and making sure nothing strange happened to impede on her own progress. Only, this image was now marred as her mother's words floated back into the forefront along with the image of that black-haired beast once more.

That wolf was the cause of all this trouble. She had the plan all wrapped up and ready to be concluded. The goal was within her sights and she could almost brush up against the tape with her fingertips. The large beast with its feral eye and meddling ways had caused enough trouble, too much trouble. This wouldn't stand, not anymore. That wolf, that beast within human skin, was going to pay. She gritted her teeth and nearly shrank into the desk. If she found that beast—when she found that beast—there would be no mercy.

* * *

Nagi escorted Shizuru down the hall and towards the Executive Office before he suddenly stopped. She turned and looked at the conflicting emotions on his face before she too stopped.

"You are not accompanying me into the office?" Shizuru asked quietly.

The younger boy shook his head.

"Whatever happens, don't let up," Nagi said softly.

Shizuru blinked but did not reply when Nagi offered nothing else other than this strange pep talk. He tucked his hands in his pockets and gave her a curt nod as he stood by the unoccupied secretary's desk. She turned and gently pushed open one of the doors that led into the office. As she stepped in memories began to flood her mind. Snatches of her early life were spent in this area office in Fuuka. The bayside view and "new" cityscape was the vacation spot to her seemingly more exotic childhood stay at the formal mansion in Kyoto. It was one of the reasons why she had elected to go to this academy rather than one closer to home—this was a homecoming it its own way. Despite the nostalgia behind the office she pushed those fond thoughts to the back of her mind.

This was not her father's office anymore. The warm memories washed away in favor of a comfortable coolness that settled over her mind and caused her face to grow neutral as she registered the faces in front of her. The blonde-haired foreigner lounging in the shadows was a new face, she noted quietly. The woman sitting before her was not, although it had been some time since they had last met.

"Hello, Shizuru. It has been a long time."

Shizuru bowed respectfully.

"It has been a long time, Kyoko oba-san."

What looked to be a fond smile turned the corners of Kyoko's lips. This was not unfamiliar to Shizuru, who had often been awarded so many smiles from countless individuals only to return the same forced smile that she was now being given. It was a patented smile, a quaint turn of the lips that signified mild pleasure. Kyoko's eyes spoke differently, however. They seemed a bit too happy. Shizuru had the distinct feeling that she had fallen into the company of a rather hungry snake bent on having a satisfactory meal after being denied proper sustenance.

"Please, take a seat."

Shizuru shook her head. She would not play along. Her father had some dubious liking to it and Shizuru herself had dabbled in the manipulations and mind games, but this was not an individual to test these talents on. She decided the best course of action would be to remain honest but not indulgent.

"No, thank you."

A minor setback. Kyoko folded her hands out in front of her and gathered her thoughts.

"How long has it been since we last met, Shizuru?"

"A little over ten years, ma'am."

It had been spring, then. She could still remember the distinct blue silk of her aunt's kimono, the earnest gray eyes of a younger Tomoe, and the warmth of her father's hand as he held one of her hands in a loose yet comforting grip. There were strained conversations exchanged over carefully-made sweets and cups of tea that she had painstakingly prepared. It had been the first formal tea ceremony that she had administered by herself to her father and aunt as her cousin wandered around in the gardens. Too western, Kyoko would say in a sniff when referring to her own child, and not enough discipline to learn these cherished arts. Shizuru knew that Tomoe could hear her through the thin rice-paper doors. As always, the Fujino and the lone Marguerite remained silent as they went through the motions and projected an image of familial stability. It had not been the first of many indirect comparisons, but it had been the last time they were connected to a tangible face. Shizuru studied the ageless beauty sitting before her. The current Kyoko Marguerite could not be super-imposed over the memory of the blue kimono-clad lady who presided over tea and sweets.

"You are correct." Kyoko leaned against her desk chair and sighed wistfully. "As always, your memory is impeccable. And you've grown up into such a beautiful young lady."

Shizuru remained quiet. Soon the silence began to settle into the room and Kyoko straightened.

"I will not mince words with you, Shizuru," Kyoko began. Her silver eyes flicked over towards the unsettling crimson of Shizuru's gaze. "However, my intentions are becoming horribly misconstrued through my daughter's rash actions over the course of this past year."

There was still no response. Kyoko took in the steady gaze and relaxed face before frowning. This wasn't like riling up Shigeru at all. Shigeru was both cold and hot, a calculating individual wrapped up beneath layers of bravado and a need to prove himself as his own master. It was easy to find his weak points and exploit them for her amusement. Shigeru even gave her the opportunities with their games that they had played back and forth over the years. The indirect product of one of those games was studying her with eyes that reminded Kyoko more strongly now of blue eyes that once matched a set of aquamarines she still kept locked up with her most precious jewels. She wasn't sure whether to be amused or irritated at the seemingly perfect combination of color and quality held within Shizuru's eyes.

"You must be wondering by now, why these unfortunate events have befallen you. I wish I could answer you." Kyoko sighed. "I was not aware of my daughter's actions until recently when I was informed by my assistant Smith."

The aforementioned man nodded briskly from the shadows. Shizuru's gaze locked onto him briefly before roving back onto Kyoko.

"You may already know what lies beneath me," Kyoko continued. "It aches and tears through my mind everyday. The medication is not working as well as it used to, and now I fear that with a higher dosage I may soon find myself in a vegetative state. There is no telling if there are others outside of our immediate company who could be suffering through the same thing, but there is one thing that I do know for certain. Gods cannot survive long within human shells before breaking down towards an inevitable madness. With your abilities, you can help solve a very pressing problem. Do you understand why you are here?"

Shizuru nodded and finally spoke.

"You desire my abilities as a mediator."

Kyoko found herself nodding almost eagerly but she stopped when Shizuru's lips twitched briefly. She was not done speaking yet.

"You cannot have them."

Now Kyoko was the one being stunned into muteness when Shizuru finished. Even Smith blinked in a rare display of surprise as Kyoko mentally scrambled for words.

"… I'm sorry?"

"You cannot have them," Shizuru repeated. "I sympathize with your current dilemma and with those of others suffering through the same condition. In another time perhaps I would have agreed… but I am already enmeshed and I cannot unwind myself without serious injury to my second party. That said… I cannot break my previous bond."

"You cannot?" Smith asked in mild curiosity.

She stared at him evenly.

"I suppose that I can. In that case, proper statement would be that I refuse. I will not."

"You are in no position to announce to us what you will or will not do," Smith argued. "You are going to condemn others to madness."

"Madness?" Shizuru asked, still in her gentle tones. Nevertheless Smith backed down and retreated back to his safe corner. "Mister… Smith, was it? I remember your name from the First District annals. You used to hold a high position there before the laboratory was closed."

Smith frowned. Those crimson eyes could read through anything, he mused.

"I did, yes."

"Then… you would understand that my abilities have no use towards others once I am enmeshed with someone. I can only break my connection when there is a dire need to do so, but there is enough risk attached to that to where I would not even dream of doing it."

Smith grew curiously silent. She was correct, of course. The research had not come up with a satisfactory alternative to this working theory of mediators and afflicted individuals—once a connection was made, it was mostly permanent. If they broke the connection, they risked creating another feral beast that would wreck havoc and would stop at nothing until it either died of exhaustion or through other means. This was, of course, assuming that the connection between Shizuru and Kyoko would stick if administered. There was always a definitive rate of failure when it came to establishing a permanent connection for the second time. He knew better than to risk it. Shizuru noted the sudden change in facial expression and continued on.

"In turn, you would also know that, indeed, while I am not in a position to barter, you are in no position to threaten me or guilt me into agonizing over lives I could have conceivably saved from a lifetime of madness. It is regrettable that I cannot, but it was never about those lives in the first place."

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"No. This is just a continuation of something that had once been forgotten."

Kyoko and Smith stared at the young woman standing before them. Shizuru returned their strange stares with seemingly empty eyes.

"For a year I have been locked up and given drugs to soothe me into a semi-permanent haze. My cousin has attempted to break me through these means and she has failed magnificently. It is only through an inescapable and unfortunate turn of events that I am standing here, talking to the two of you. Do not think, however, that you hold all of the pieces required for a complete victory."

She turned towards her aunt. For a second those crimson eyes flickered as they took in the silent disbelief etched onto the older woman's face, but Shizuru then closed her eyes to banish the image. When she opened them once more, she could see the sudden change from disbelief to betrayal that shone through those strange silvery eyes, but she offered no overt reaction to it. Instead she tilted her head slightly in deference and spoke in that still, soft tone that she had addressed them with during the length of this meeting.

"In another time, perhaps, I would have gladly laid my life down to heal this rift in our family and bring in the light that you were denied. I am afraid, however, that this feeling has passed in light of the situation at hand. I apologize if this is not to your liking, but I have made my decision and I will stand by it. Good day, oba-san."

Shizuru bowed once before turning and walking away from the silence that failed to call her back.

* * *

Shizuru only let out a short sigh when she was far enough away from the executive office to make a mad dash for the outside world if it really came down to that. Of course, there was really no conceivable way to do so without running into nearly half of the armed guards that Tomoe and Kyoko had installed over every little exit. She shook her head at the sudden absurdity of her thoughts. Escape plans would have to wait. Running away would do nothing but delay the inevitable. With that in mind Shizuru lifted her chin and purposefully kept walking in brisk strides. The maids respectfully bowed towards her and she nodded her greetings as she made her way back to her old suite with Nagi in tow.

"That was a strange silence that came out of that room when you left it," Nagi commented offhandedly as he followed her into her room. He closed the door behind them and watched Shizuru rifle through a few papers left on her desk. "I would have thought that, at the very least, you would have been followed with her demanding that you change your mind."

He sat down on her bed as she moved towards the kitchenette and poured out two glasses of water; he accepted one as she offered it to him. After several sips of the cool liquid he held onto his glass with both hands and waited patiently as Shizuru sat down beside him.

"How long do you think you have until she goes completely bonkers and starts up with the threats and locking you up until something happens?" Nagi asked quietly.

"I would give her three, maybe four days," Shizuru replied evenly before taking a sip from her own glass. She frowned as her finger traced a line through the condensation on the glass. "… A week if I'm lucky, but I can't rely on that."

"That was a brave thing you did. Foolish, too."

Nagi drank until halfway before placing the glass on the bedside table.

"You do seem to trust Kuga-san a lot."

Shizuru nodded.

"I do. She trusted in me all these years. We would have gone nowhere if we didn't put any trust in each other."

"Still… this is a bit like stabbing a torch into darkness. Whatever progress you make comes back at you when you retract your arm. You could be walking around in circles for all you know."

Nagi rested his hands on his knees and pursed his lips.

"Tell me more about Kagutsuchi and your involvement with Mai-han," Shizuru said after the momentary lull passed.

Nagi shrugged. It was fair enough. He did, after all, drag his cousin out from freedom to cover his own botched attempt at capturing Kagutsuchi. If there was anyone who had a right to know, it would be Shizuru.

"Mashiro-chan pinpointed the spirit at the _Edelweiss_ café roughly a week and a half ago and we were sent to investigate when word got around that there was another individual like oba-san. When we saw who the carrier was, we were both stunned to say the least. But she merely smiled and gave us both a slice of shortcake before sending us on our way."

"Mai-han is kind like that," she noted with a soft smile.

Nagi gave a short nod.

"We didn't want to believe it at first but it soon started to fit together. There was something darker within her, something that we obviously did not know of until recently. Mashiro-chan didn't want to pursue her, wanted to leave her be, but…"

Nagi straightened and sighed before deciding to pursue a slight tangent.

"First District was a strange, paranoid little company and their records were fairly… spotty, to say the least. As of now we already know that our family is involved in this transmutation process, but that would not explain Kuga-san or even Tokiha-san, who had no prior affiliation with our family or the company. For some reason I was ordered by John Smith to bring Tokiha Mai in for testing." He scoffed. "I refused at first and had loads of fun messing around with them, but then they began to collect collateral in the form of Mashiro's recent hospitalizations and the bills that began to collect because of it."

Each of the cousins had their own forms of attachment towards the others. As the eldest, Shizuru had extended a sort of surrogate mother/sister role towards the other three before Tomoe started to grow distant from the rest. Nagi and Mashiro were the closest due to the fact that their families retained a much closer bond to each other than towards the divided Fujino family and the wealth of problems they brought with them. They had their scrapes and fought spectacular matches over silly things, but at the end of the day the only ones they had were each other. When Mashiro had been diagnosed with a spinal cord injury that had confined her to a wheelchair, Nagi took it upon himself to help watch over the now calmer and disenchanted young girl. Nagi was a brutal trickster and Shizuru could barely tolerate him on a good day, but when it came to a certain Kazahana Mashiro the boy was all business. He would never take a threat lightly when it was directed towards her.

"They think she might have the same condition as Kuga-san," Nagi continued. "The doctors are really quiet about it, but some calls have been made to Smith and I think he agrees. The strange thing is, Mashiro-chan had predicted that she would be the potential medium for Kagutsuchi, not Tokiha-san."

"She is rarely proven wrong," Shizuru commented.

"Kyoko oba-san has an unhealthy obsession over Kagutsuchi. She said it was something that could finally break her out of her own curse, as she likes to put it."

"I doubt that would be the case."

Nagi looked up in mild surprise.

"Oh? What do you think the case is, then?"

Shizuru finished her glass of water and set it next to the half-full glass that Nagi had left on the table. She watched the water reflect the light that had been turned on when they entered the room.

"She isn't searching for a cure or even for relief. If she was then she would have been more forceful in trying to secure me as her mediator." Shizuru's eyes darkened and she frowned. "She wants my father. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Your father?" At Shizuru's nod Nagi frowned and raised an eyebrow. "What does he have to do with anything?"

"I cannot ignore the reason behind her actions. He is the catalyst that spurred her descent towards this plan of hers. If there is anyone who can get her to stop without causing further injury to herself or to others, it would be him. Holding me as collateral would be useless unless I was used to draw him out."

She paused.

"Perhaps she was planning for what might happen if she had failed on that tactic. Maybe… maybe she wanted to sire another generation of bitterness through Mai-han's awakened Kagutsuchi."

"What a lonely woman," Nagi replied.

He straightened and smiled.

"With all the power in the world and the means to do almost anything with it, you would think she'd be living it up or holding the world hostage. I like to think she'd enjoy the latter." He let out a clear laugh that seemed to echo in the stillness. "Instead, this god masquerading under human skin wants only to fit in with the rest of the world and be accepted."

Shizuru smiled as she took in her cousin's sudden amusement over their situation.

"Isn't that what anyone wants? To be accepted by those you care for."

"Perhaps."

Nagi hopped off the bed and turned to face Shizuru.

"Is there anything you want me to do before I leave you to fend for yourself?"

She nodded and reached over for a notebook and a pen.

"In the family temple back at Kyoto, there is a room sectioned off that contains the statues of the _Shitenno_. A parcel is hidden beneath the statue of _Koumokuten_. It is something that my mother once owned, and I would appreciate it if you deliver it to Kuga Natsuki."

Nagi accepted the written directions and pocketed them with a curt nod.

"That is an equal exchange, isn't it?" When Nagi nodded again, she smiled. "Then go, and please be careful with the parcel. It has been quite some time since it had been used last."

"Will do." He paused. "You know, Nee-chan, you have a lot to lose if any of this goes awry."

"Then… I will have to make sure to remind myself that I must play to win, not to be even."

The grin positively bloomed on his face as Nagi turned and left the room. As the door closed once more, Shizuru stood from her bed and made her way over to the windows. The view was absolutely breathtaking as was expected. Her breath lightly frosted the glass as she pushed a hand against the window.

_Another day, another gilded cage._

Her fingers lightly swept across the glass as her hand closed into a loose fist.

_This will be the last._

* * *

AN: The Red Queen is now making her debut, and the endgame is in session.

The Shitenno refers to the "Four Heavenly Kings" of Buddhist faith (lol not just Sailor Moon's FABULOUS generals, as someone had mentioned to me). Koumokuten presides over the West and the name means "He who sees all." An interesting thing is, in the Mai-hime manga, Haruka's Child is named Koumokuten. It's some sort of angler fish that fires laser beams from its mouth... lol something like that.

About Nagi's apparent 180: A lot of characters in Mai-hime were morally ambiguous and everyone had a serious lacking of morals in the later stages of the show, except perhaps Natsuki. I guess what I'm trying to illustrate here is that if Nagi was not a subordinate to the big bad Obsidian Lord or even the big bad leader himself, he would just be a punk looking out for number 1. Making concessions to stay out on top wouldn't be above him.


	14. Crossroads' End

Author here. Huh, my sense of time seems to be slipping. Thank you for your kind reviews and continued patience.

Mai-hime and related belong to Sunrise

* * *

**Crossroads' End  
**

"_No… No. No."_

_She opened her eyes in a daze and coughed. Her helmet visor was never this dark. With a shaky hand she flipped it up and nearly went blind from the black smoke that rushed in. The smoke burned through to her lungs. Her ribs felt like they were on fire, but she did not stop. She could not stop. Her feet dragged and nearly tripped into each other as she stumbled from her toppled bike and began to make her way through the destruction. She was feeling perfectly fine. Perfectly fine. The adrenaline was making sure of that. Her head felt like it was swimming in her helmet, but she continued to run. There were calls for an ambulance, multiple ambulances. Others had been hurt as well. Fires caused from spilled fuel and sparks roared around the intersection. Someone had called for her to stop but she shook off the person's restraining hand and continued to run. _

_The world felt curiously dark and she nearly tripped over the fallen body that was her intended destination. Hurriedly she slammed herself down to her knees and raked her fingers through hair matted with blood._

"_No, No…"_

_Blood. Too much blood. It seeped from her stomach, bubbled from where her hands clasped together, holding something in. With a sickening drop of her own stomach she realized that the woman in her arms was struggling to keep her organs from spilling out into the asphalt. When she lifted her head blood dribbled from her lips. _

"_Stay with me!" she roared over the din of shocked onlookers. "… Stay with me…"_

_Shizuru managed to open her eyes at the desperate shout. Despite the situation she smiled and leaned towards the shaking hands._

"… _Na… tsuki," she crooned weakly._

_Tears were now falling nonstop. They stained the inside of her cracked helmet with the smell of salt that mixed in with the smoke and coppery tinge of blood. Shizuru's eyes began to droop._

"_No, stay with me!" she implored. "Please… Shizuru, stay with me…"_

_The paramedics had arrived. Two of them gently lifted Shizuru onto a stretcher and began to cart her away to where the other victims of the large-scale crash were waiting. She looked around in blind panic at the vast assortment of black body bags and began to fight against the paramedics who had stayed behind to secure a transport to the hospital as well._

"_No! Don't put her over there! Not with them… Not with them…"_

"_We need to get her to an operating room as quickly as possible, ma'am. Please, your cooperation would be appreciated—"_

"_I said don't put her over there with them!" she snarled._

_The fight began to leave her limbs. For the first time, she could feel no retribution from Duran as she slipped from consciousness._

… _Where were you, Duran?_

* * *

Natsuki woke up with the unsettling nightmare of a memory that had plagued her ever since the accident. She stared at her shaking hands before clasping them into fists.

_Never again._

There were only a few things left to do that were absolutely necessary to finish before Natsuki would depart from the relative security of the Suzushiro property, hopefully without Haruka tagging along. Despite the potential risk of getting found by Tomoe, she knew she could not stay long. The longer she was off of the pills, the more dangerous a threat she would pose to those around her. A good number of the pills had been lost in the fire and the only thing she had left to cover herself was another syringe. This particular dosage would be a fatal one—it was only to be used if there was no other option available.

_Do or die, I guess that's how it's going to be._

She sighed and stuffed her hands in her pockets when she prowled down the length of the hallway.

… _Man, we really need a vacation after this._

She fingered the small medicine tin in her pocket as she walked. In this tin were the remaining pills that she had managed to salvage from the wreck. It wasn't much, but it would last in time to find another supply. There was never a shortage of medication, only a difficulty in where to find it. And with Shizuru's resources there wouldn't even be a difficulty. Natsuki paused and frowned as she thought of the older girl but quickly pushed these thoughts away when she approached her destination. The door was already slightly open so she merely slipped in to a room that was better furnished than the one she had taken her silent refuge in. This room had a bed, a desk, and even two chairs that looked very comfortable. She eyed one of the chairs and decided to take a seat. The blankets stirred and the person beneath them groaned before slowly getting up.

"… N-Natsuki?"

Natsuki gave a short salute of a wave as she lounged on the chair.

"Yo, Mai."

Uncertainty and a small drop of fear shone from those violet eyes as Mai studied a rather nonchalant Natsuki lounging on the seat beside her bed. She grimaced and cradled her head with one hand while grasping onto the bed sheets with the other. It felt like a terrible hangover had settled in her brain but that was laughably impossible. At least, she wished it was a hangover. It could have provided an easier explanation for the weathered patience in Natsuki's eyes and clipped smile. Natsuki leaned forward and poured out a glass of water from the waiting pitcher.

"Here, drink it."

Mai blindly grabbed for the cup. When it was pushed into her hand she grasped onto it and nearly chugged the water down. Almost instantly she felt better and she stared back at Natsuki curiously when the other girl shrugged.

"You always get dehydrated after a transformation," Natsuki explained. "I figured that you might be even more so, considering your element."

She frowned after she took in Mai's continued confusion. She took the glass from Mai's slack fingers and fiddled with it briefly. It felt incredibly warm to her touch.

"You… do remember, right? About several nights ago."

Mai closed her eyes. She was about to shake her head when she flinched again. Something white-hot seared through from the middle of her brain to right in front of her eyes—a splitting headache. This wasn't going to pretend to be a hangover anymore. It disappeared just as quickly as it formed, but following it were images and sounds, memories of what had happened.

_**Mai-hime, ruler of Hell.**_

The booming voice echoed across her mind, followed by an unearthly shriek that nearly made her teeth chatter in response. During this episode Natsuki had already poured out another glass of water, this time cooling the glass before handing it over. When Mai reached for it, her fingers caused immediate condensation as they contacted the glass. The water was nearly boiling by the time she raised the cup to her trembling lips.

"Calm down, Mai. Just drink the water slowly, don't think about it right now."

Somehow, Natsuki's rough command punched through the growing fog in her mind and quieted the raging beast that now resided there. Mai nodded jerkily and tried to comply. Soon the water stopped bubbling and was only lukewarm when it passed her lips. She gagged but successfully kept the water down before passing the cup back. Natsuki took it gingerly and nearly flung it back on the table.

"… You want some more?" she asked after a moment.

Mai seemingly ignored the question as she stared at her friend's palm. It was now a strange shade of glowing red and looked as if Natsuki had placed her hands near a burner. The skin had yet to blister but it was dangerously close. Natsuki absently clapped her hands together before rubbing them. Instead of a heat-producing friction, her hands seemed to be coated in a sparkling sheen that helped take away some of the jarring red. Soon the skin began to cool back to a healthier color and she let her hands rest on her lap. Mai then turned to look back at her own hands, which were still pristine. Natsuki repeated her question and Mai finally shook her head.

"I don't… think so."

"Are you feeling any better?"

"I'm…"

_**Mai-hime, bearer of the darkened flames, show your true desire—**_

Her eyes nearly rolled to the back of her head before she got a hold of herself.

"No… No. I'm fine."

—_**rain your hellfire down on this pitiful world—**_

Natsuki raised an eyebrow.

"He's a talkative one."

Mai looked at her warily.

"You can hear it too?"

When Natsuki nodded, Mai sighed dejectedly and rubbed her neck with shaking fingers.

"I don't know what to say, really," Mai said in a slightly rushed manner. She stared at the wall in front of her. "I wanted to say something like 'oh, now I really am going crazy,' but then I remember that you've lived with it since you could remember."

Natsuki offered a brief shrug in response.

"Duran doesn't talk much; he doesn't really need to. I tend to forget how he sounds."

Despite the nonchalant response, Mai buried her head in her hands. Natsuki's lips twitched once, twice, before she leaned forward and rested her hands on her knees.

"He'll have to listen to you, you know," Natsuki said in a low voice. "He'll rant and rage as much as he likes, but he'll listen in the end. They all do, anyway."

"They?" Mai asked.

"Gods, demons, spirits, whatever." Natsuki gave a dismissive wave. "Either way, they're bound to a human now. If your Kagutsuchi or whatever has a brain, he'll realize that if you're dead, he'll be gone as well."

_**Insufferable, obstinate little…**_

Kagutsuchi never quite finished his statement and Mai belatedly wondered about it. She frowned and directed her gaze towards Natsuki.

"So are you saying that, should anything happen to me, this..."

_**My name, girl, is Kagutsuchi.**_

"… Right. This Kagutsuchi won't just burst from my chest like an alien if I die?"

Natsuki let out a snort as she crossed her arms and leaned back into the chair. The cushions sank around her and created a warm cocoon that cradled her with supportive foam.

"I would hope not. But yeah, they can't keep a tangible form if they aren't connected to a human body." Her eyes seem to dim and she leaned back so her head could rest at the top of the chair's back. "There are worse things to consider. You could lose control over him. If that were to ever happen, you wouldn't die. That's all I can say about that."

The room grew uncomfortably silent. Even Kagutsuchi, who Mai thought would have wanted to take this opportunity to assert his opinion even further, remained quiet. This momentary respite enabled Mai to massage the bridge of her nose before pushing the covers off of her body. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and let her bare feet touch the floor. The floor felt a little warmer than she had expected.

"Is this temperature change permanent?" Mai asked as she tried to stand.

"It can be, but right now you're running a bit of a fever from standing outside in the cold for so long."

Natsuki stood as well when Mai began to stumble. As she grasped onto Mai's upper arms to help keep her up, something white-hot seared from her palms up to her head. It wasn't a physical heat but Duran let out an uncharacteristic yelp to it and attempted to scramble away from this unnerving sensation. Natsuki felt herself backpedaling in response to Duran's desperate actions. Mai found herself grasping onto air as she began to fall backwards. Soon they landed in an untidy heap with Mai sitting on Natsuki's lap. With a strangled yell Natsuki nearly kicked her friend off to scramble backwards towards the wall. Mai watched her catch her breath before she straightened and tried to walk towards her, only to be rebuffed when Natsuki threw up a hand.

"Just… give me a few seconds."

The confused girl then grew acutely aware of the snickering that echoed in the back of her brain. Natsuki threw a glare towards her and she stiffened.

"**Tell that **_**thing**_** of yours to shut up, girl.**"

It was not her voice that voiced this statement. This was a deeper timbre of a voice that shook through Mai's bones and instantly brought to mind westward mountains and unforgiving winters. She blinked, and immediately a filter settled over her eyes. In Natsuki's place she saw a great beast of black fur and a lone, piercing eye that glittered like emeralds. The wolf gave her another critical glare before tossing his head and staring at something beyond her. She could feel Kagutsuchi's continued chuckles and the wolf almost raised his hackles in response.

_**I enjoyed touching her, wolf.**_

Mai clapped her hands over her mouth but the words continued to flow.

_**Raking my claws against her back like that… I enjoyed watching her bleed.**_

In response the Duran in her mind's eye bared his fangs as he emitted a strangled snarl. The teeth could easily have been the size of her fingers, she noted in quick panic as she brought her hands to her eyes. Natsuki shut her eyes and turned her head away, breaking their eye contact and returning Mai to the world of here and now. Duran seemingly melted away, leaving behind a visibly irritated Natsuki. Kagutsuchi offered a strange snort as he too began to retreat. Mai scrambled back to her feet when Natsuki gingerly stood.

"Natsuki—"

"It's fine," the older girl muttered as she patted her pockets.

She extracted a slim medicine tin and instantly Mai began to feel inexplicably nauseated when Kagutsuchi shot back up in sudden alarm. Natsuki read the mild panic that burned towards her and tapped the case open to reveal only a few white pills.

"These should hold you over until you get around to controlling him."

Mai accepted the pills and obediently popped one in her mouth. Natsuki watched her swallow the pill dry before nodding and turning to go.

"Natsuki, wait."

She stopped and turned her head slightly to acknowledge that she was listening. Mai bit her lip and sighed quietly.

"I'm sorry."

Natsuki shrugged half-heartedly as she stuffed her hands in her pockets.

"What's there to be sorry about? You didn't choose to be this way."

Mai shook her head.

"Not about that. About… About Fujino-san."

There was no response from what she could hear, but her eyes told her everything. Natsuki's back was a little too stiff, the muscles too taut. Her thumbs, which would usually hang out of her pockets loosely when she put her hands in them, were now hooked into her belt loops and gripping onto them until her knuckles turned white. Her head was slightly bowed over and dark hair slipped from behind her shoulders to fall around her face, hiding those ferocious emerald eyes from view. If she had a tail, Mai thought suddenly, it would surely be curling between her legs in defeat.

"… It was necessary. And Shizuru agreed to do it." There came a strange sigh. "Don't worry about it. It was out of our hands, anyway."

Now Mai understood the reasons behind the taciturn mannerisms of her friend—could she even call her a friend now? She supposed that logically, there was nothing done that could ever change the feelings she held for this lone wolf, but there was no denying the wall that was now driven up between the two spirits encased in their bodies. This was what Natsuki had guarded herself over, she mused. Gods and spirits did not have friends. They had rivals, enemies, lovers. There would always be a visible line separating the two factions, and the mutual grayness of friendship did not exist. They would not work in tandem for the sake of simply knowing one another, even if they harbored similar goals. A long time ago, under summer skies and before the screeching crash that brought her life down this turbulent spiral, Natsuki had spoken to her the definitive words that would describe their situation now.

_There will always be things that are beyond our control, and they can't see through the shades of gray we paint out._

At the time she had mused that this would pertain to the future, the vast concept of what to do with their lives now that they had reached a comfortable impasse of an established routine. She thought that this was about silly things that no one in their late teens going on twenty thought about—taxes, politics, religion, death. They had laughed together over the strange statement and went out to purchase a watermelon to share with their loved ones. It was the last time they had done anything remotely close with one another.

Now they stood together in the same room, but there was no joy or laughter to be shared between them. Mai nearly hunched over as she hugged herself in wake of this stark realization as Natsuki took to staring at the door ahead of her.

"… You'll be leaving again," Mai mumbled in the silence.

"I have to," Natsuki replied resolutely.

Mai sighed.

"You know… When I first heard that Fujino-san was awake again, I wished that you would come back to us. Even before I used to think that, now that she was awake, you could come back and we would be back to how we were. If we were all together again, we could help each other out and make things right once more. It was just wishful thinking, but I wanted for the longest time for it to come true."

"How we were…" Natsuki repeated musingly. She paused. "How were we, back then, Mai? I can't really remember anymore."

It was a blatant lie. She could remember with distinction how they were. School was a necessary chore but it had brought to her the most happiness she could have ever asked for. She gained friends, rivals, and Shizuru. They grew together throughout the years and built their castles in the sky, wistful declarations of the future and wild wagers about where they would be in five years, ten, and beyond. The thing she had grown to cherish most, however, was the comfortable silences they endured, knowing that their company was enough.

"The world was beautiful, once," Mai replied quietly. "And so were we."

Natsuki started as Mai's voice washed over her ears. She had heard those words before, in a locked up memory that rested in her heart. She smiled. With a shake of her head, Natsuki straightened her stance.

"Then… then I guess we'll just have to start from the bottom and go up to regain what we lost. We'll just have to fight the good fight and win, this time. Maybe then we'll have this beautiful world of ours back."

"And if we fail?"

"Then we fight again." Now Natsuki turned fully to look at Mai. "You can do what you wish. I am going to put an end to this situation once and for all."

She turned around and walked out of the room… and out of Mai's sight once more.

* * *

"_Natsuki, you shouldn't be moving around right now!"_

"_C'mon, Kuga, don't make this any more difficult than it already is…"_

"_Let go of me! I said, let go—"_

_Mai and Yuichi managed to restrain a somewhat-sedated and heavily-bandaged Natsuki from barging into the separate recovery ward. The girl could have easily taken the two of them on in a fight but her ribs told her otherwise and finally she decided to work with them. Yuichi let out a weary sigh as he sat beside her while Mai began to pace in front of them._

"_Mai, have a seat," Yuichi said after a moment. "The nurses are beginning to stare at you funny."_

"_Yuichi! Kaichou-san is in there fighting for her life and all you can say is the nurses are going to stare at me funny?" Mai snapped, still pacing._

_Yuichi crossed his arms over his chest and sighed, deciding to ignore the pointed stare from the nurse on duty. At this point the doors opened and in came a fleet of doctors and nurses dragging along a bed. _

"_Needs another operation—"_

"_Too much blood loss—"_

"_This isn't very good—"_

"_When's her father getting here—"_

"_If she doesn't wake up from this one—"_

_They stared in mute horror. Natsuki extended a hand out towards the flaxen hair but the bed containing Shizuru whisked by without slowing down. The doors at the end of the hallway swung in and out a few times after the team zoomed by, leaving the three young adults to gape. The door that had been opened first opened once more to reveal a haggard Reito. He stumbled into a chair and held his head in his hands._

"_Sempai?" Yuichi called uncertainly._

"_Hm?" _

_Reito lifted his head. Despite Yuichi's respectful mention of his title, Reito could see that he had a protective grip on Mai's shoulder. Past struggles could never be let down so easily, and while Yuichi was putting on a straight face his eyes showed nothing but a keen sense of caution towards his senior. This was to be accepted and even expected in Reito's point of view. He had never quite forgiven himself on the conclusion from trying to take Mai's feelings away from Tate. It had resulted in a loss of face for him, limited functionality in his arm for months, and the guarded looks he now received from both Mai and Yuichi. Still, he reasoned, this was not about them. This was now about Fujino Shizuru, his friend and confidante, the young woman who had seen through his struggles and helped lift him from his desolation when no one else would give him a chance. He looked over at the dark-haired girl seated beside him and immediately his heart went out to her._

"… _It's bad, isn't it?" Yuichi asked, filling in the silence._

_Reito paused to gather his thoughts. He turned and faced Natsuki._

"_I'm sure you've heard the initial report from the doctor, but there's been a complication. She'll be in need of a blood transfusion either way, but the chances of her pulling through are growing less now that she hasn't woken up from her initial surgery."_

"_She has type AB," Natsuki said mechanically. She stood. "I can give her some of mine."_

"_Natsuki, you aren't in any position to give blood after you've lost so much of yours!" Mai argued._

_Reito raised a hand to gather attention._

"_Please, let's not argue now. Yukino-chan has volunteered to give blood since she has the same type as Shizuru-san. Suzushiro-san apparently ran into the ambulance convey and called up Yukino-chan for her assistance."_

"_Will that be enough?" Mai asked._

"_I can't say for certain but there is nothing more we can do right now but wait," Reito replied simply. _

_He leaned his head against the wall and let out a defeated sigh before closing his eyes. Mai could sympathize—she knew that Reito had only a few hours of sleep over the past two days. No one was getting enough sleep due to this anxious wait, even when Suzushiro had holed herself up in the visiting area with a bag of curry bread and an orange juice-toting Yukino to keep her company. _

_Natsuki shook her head roughly and began to march towards the exit._

"_Wait—"_

_Mai managed to grab onto her, prompting Natsuki to nearly snap her wrist when she wrenched herself free. She watched her friend prowl away as she rubbed her wrist and considered going after her, but Yuichi had settled the matter for her when he placed a heavy hand on her shoulder. His thumb ran comforting circles over her shoulder blade._

"_Let her go," Yuichi murmured. "Kuga just needs to cool down is all."_

"_But…"_

_His grip on her shoulder remained. He jerked his chin towards the operating room. _

"_Her most important person is in there trying to fight for her life and she can't do anything but wait it out. A lesser person would have broken down by now. Let her go, Mai."_

_Reito opened one eye lazily to watch the two as they quietly stared at the exit. If it was his call, he would have chased her down and forced her to wait, but the two were merely content in letting their friend go to take the world on in an increasing burst of anger over the forces that did her wrong. It was a bad idea, but he failed to voice his concerns. He merely shifted and kept his eyes trained on the operating room before he clamped a hand over his eyes. _

* * *

Reito was already up and about when Natsuki walked into the sitting room where she had completed the first of many experiments involving the fireplace. He was seated there with a book on his lap and one white patch adorning his forehead. He closed the book and turned to nod a greeting towards Natsuki.

"I was wondering when you would show up," he said in a cheerful tone that betrayed little of his impending concerns.

Natsuki took a seat in an unoccupied chair beside his and stared into the fire.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" she asked quietly.

"That day, a year ago, you weren't running out of grief or cowardice, weren't you? You ran because you could not risk losing control over yourself."

Natsuki offered a half-hearted shrug.

"I couldn't subject anyone else to that, especially when Shizuru…"

"I understand… at least, _now_ I understand." By this time Reito had set the book down to rest beside him. "Please understand that now we are all in this together, for better or for worse."

"Together?" Natsuki sighed. "That's a lofty declaration."

"It's one I attempt to keep," he replied simply. "I cannot stand and watch as my pretty underclassmen and colleagues attempt to get themselves killed over a dire situation when I am capable of helping."

"You…" Natsuki shook her head. "That's a very characteristic response out of you."

"Isn't it? I suspect that with all these fascinating changes, some of us have to remain relatively stable. I may not have the powers that you and Mai-san possess, but I will attempt to do my best in providing help when I can."

She stood and gave him a critical look.

"Kanzaki, you are probably the least involved individual aside from your sister. That's more than enough reason to run away while you can."

"I suppose, but running away from friends who need help is impolite at best." He offered another smile. "In a better, brighter future, I would hope that someday my efforts will exonerate me from my past wrongdoings. That sounds a little self-centered, but be assured that I am here to serve your best interests."

Natsuki weighed his words for a moment before she frowned.

"After all this time, you're still beating yourself up over what happened between Tate and Mai?"

"Do not deny that I had no hand in terrorizing the two in my past," Reito admonished quietly with a wave of his hand. He massaged his arm briefly. "There is still a bitterness that I know follows me due to my own actions in the past. This injury has yet to heal completely, even if it has been some time since Tate-kun has raised a weapon against me."

"They aren't together anymore, unless I'm missing something vital here," Natsuki replied. "You shouldn't hold it against yourself once the point of your struggles is now gone."

"I suppose." He fixed her with a calm gaze. "What I am trying to illustrate for your sake, Kuga-san, is that to consider that while the point may be gone, residue from the event still remains."

"… Another one of those 'it's everyone's and no one's fault' sort of thing?" Natsuki asked.

"Something like that." He picked up his book and opened it once more. "When the time comes, Kuga-san, I will be ready, so please just concentrate on what you must do."

She gave a curt nod and resumed her journey through the winding paths of the Suzushiro estate as Reito's golden eyes watched her until he could see her no more. This time, however, he merely sighed and returned to his book, feeling a strange sense of relief.

_It is in your hands, Kuga-san._

* * *

_Her phone went off in an array of lights, vibration and sound. She perked up at the ringtone and walked over to the living room of their apartment. After a cursory look at the caller ID she flipped the phone open._

"_Yo, Shizuru."_

"_Good afternoon, Natsuki."_

"_What's up?"_

"_My father is coming from Kyoto to visit me soon, I told you about this right? His flight should arrive in around a few days or so."_

"_A few days or so?! You didn't tell me it would be __**that**__ soon."_

"_Ara, it really shouldn't matter. I'm sure otou-han will love you just the same."_

"_I don't know… But wait, isn't the airport a little ways away from the University?"_

"_It is. I'll admit that his flight was a little sooner than I had planned on, and as such I won't be able to stop by the store today. I need to finish several projects in order to keep my weekend free."_

"_Oh, that's rare. I'm guessing that you'd want me to pick up the groceries for you?"_

"_If you have time. That would be very much appreciated."_

"_Alright. It's on the way to the shop, after all. Mai needed me to make a delivery for her anyway. Am I still picking you up after class?"_

"_Yes. I'll be waiting at the intersection by the tea shop."_

"_Hm… you sure I can't just swing by the campus to pick you up? I don't like how busy that intersection gets."_

"_Going to the campus after Mai's delivery job will take another hour on top of the trip to the store. You'd be exhausted riding back and forth all day."_

"_Still…"_

"_Ah. I have to get going, Natsuki. But remember, after your errand stop by the intersection."_

"_Alright, I got it. Take care."_

"_I love you, my Natsuki."_

_Natsuki smiled._

"_I love you too, Shizuru."_

* * *

The door to Shigeru's room opened and the man blearily looked up to see Natsuki walk in. He offered her a short nod before flopping back down on his bed, prompting a surprised noise to come out of her throat.

"This doesn't seem like you."

"It's always got to be about external image, doesn't it?" Shigeru asked to the ceiling.

Natsuki took a seat and rested her hands on her lap. Soon her pointed stare grew too much for Shigeru to ignore and he turned his head towards her.

"Haven't you been done with your job for a while now?" Shigeru asked in slight annoyance. "You've delivered me to where you were supposed to. Good job, now can't you take your paycheck and go home like the negotiator you are supposed to be?"

Natsuki shook her head.

"This is home," she replied, to which Shigeru gave a scoff to.

"You've done enough," he muttered. "This is beyond what you can do, powers or no powers."

Now Natsuki frowned.

"I'm not sure I like where you're going with this."

Shigeru sat up with a sigh and leaned against the headrest.

"Tell me, Natsuki-chan, do you know the story of Kiyohime?"

Natsuki tilted her head as she thought.

"… Shizuru told me the story once and I agreed to visit a _Noh_ play called _Dojoji_ when I learned she enjoyed going to things like that. She said that the name reminded her of her mother's since it was written using the same kanji. So, yes, I think I know the gist of the tale."

"She made that allusion?" When Natsuki nodded Shigeru raised an eyebrow. "How… strange."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well… First, tell me the story of Kiyohime."

Natsuki frowned.

"There's more important things to do right now," she pointed out.

"Indulge an old man here," Shigeru replied evenly as he smiled. "I promise it will be worth your while."

Natsuki shot him a suspicious glance not unlike the ones she would give Shizuru on occasion when approached with a rather dubious offer. For a moment she was struck by how familiar the expression felt and she straightened before sighing.

"Fine, whatever."

She leaned back against the chair and crossed her legs.

"There's two versions that I know of. Which one do you want me to tell you?"

"Pick either. They both end the same, I would think."

Natsuki paused to mentally dredge up the story before she cleared her throat.

"Well… Dojo-ji temple had no bell for the longest time, until a Buddhist rite for hanging a new bell would be performed. The head priest of the temple forbade women from coming to the ceremony but a female dancer manages to sneak in after persuading a servant to let her in. She approached the bell while dancing and proceeded to strike the bell before jumping up and having the bell crash down on top of her."

She paused to recall more of the story. Despite her relative indifference to the story itself and the hours of self-inflicted torture she had endured in that _Noh_ play, the story came easily enough.

"The Abbot of the temple learned of what had happened and proceeded to chastise the monks before telling them what had happened with the previous bell. Many years beforehand, a monk would visit an inn during his yearly pilgrimages to a certain shrine. The innkeeper's daughter had a crush on him and he would bring her gifts from his travels. As a joke, the innkeeper told his daughter that she would marry the priest. After a few years or so, she confronted the monk and asked for his hand in marriage, not realizing that this was all just a joke."

Now Shigeru looked positively entranced. He rested his chin on his palm and watched Natsuki. She tapped her knee with her fingers as she stared up in a contemplative pause.

"… The monk refused, but knew she would not take no for an answer. He decided to sneak out of the inn and cross the river to _Dojo-ji_ to ask them for sanctuary, so they hid him under their bell. When the innkeeper's daughter found out, she tried to go after him but could not cross the river. In her rage, she transformed into a giant snake and swam across the river to _Dojo-ji_. She wrapped herself around the bell and began to burn the monk and herself to death… After hearing this story, the monks decided to perform an exorcism for her spirit when they realized that she was still in love with the man. They succeed and the bell lifted as the serpent disappeared into the bed of the Hidaka River."

Shigeru closed his eyes and nodded his approval.

"That's an excellent rendition of the _Dojo-ji_ tale." He sighed but retained his smile. "The funny thing about that story is that it is very apt in describing the Fujino family in general."

"… You all turn into fire-belching serpents when spurned?" Natsuki asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, no," he replied, chuckling. "But the story holds a certain amount of significance in way of the emotions portrayed. Passion, jealousy, cowardice, and rage. Everyone has them, I know. This story also has several important clues within it."

He straightened.

"Despite not having the nature of their relationship, my sister and I fit the roles of Kiyohime and the monk. A long time ago, I betrayed her, and turned to belittling her because I couldn't look past of what she had inside her. She, in turn, held on to her belief that I would grow up and change, and when I refused to have anything to do with her, she began to systematically break me down. This has been a staple of our family, a curse, if you will. Despite our privileges and wealth, we are tied down by our betrayals, and there is no force that can stop our revenge should we choose to take it. In the end, we will have nothing."

Natsuki offered no response to his explanation. Instead she looked downright troubled as she digested the information.

"Knowing this, would you still take up this cause?" Shigeru asked finally. "Would you still lay down your life to help us?"

Natsuki stood up sharply.

"Not you," she muttered. "You dug your own grave, Fujino-san, as did most of your family. That's beyond what I can do."

Shigeru stared at her, but she wasn't done.

"I will lay down my life for one person and one person only."

For a brief blip of a second he could see a younger image of himself superimposed over the young woman. He smiled as he recalled Suzushiro Junpei's words from earlier.

"I see. Then tell me, how do you see the relationship between yourself and my daughter?"

Natsuki paused. She hadn't quite prepared for that sort of question but there was something in Shigeru's question that ordered absolute honesty. She took in a slightly nervous breath and expelled it in one sigh.

"Shizuru was the only one there for me when I wanted nothing more than to lash out at this world. I didn't want it at first but she stuck with me over the years. I'm a bit boneheaded at times, I'll admit. But I would… no." She shook her head. "I _will_ fight for her. I'll fight anyone who threatens her or stands in her way. And this time, I'll be there for her."

_Never again. I'll never let her go again._

Shigeru studied her stiff stance and finally his lips eased back into a smile.

"I always wondered what it'd be like to ask that question," Shigeru said wistfully. "It gives me a certain sense of accomplishment in knowing that I didn't shove Shizuru into an arranged marriage and she found someone she cares for."

Natsuki blinked.

"Then…"

Shigeru frowned and fixed Natsuki with a steely glare.

"That doesn't excuse you to do _this_ and _that_ with my daughter."

When Natsuki nodded hesitantly in agreement, he shrugged.

"I guess, all things considered, at least you won't get Shizuru accidentally pregnant."

Natsuki began to stammer something incoherent, but all Shigeru could see was the curious shade of red that had begun to glow from her entire face. He studied this new scene with rapt interest and grinned.

"Oh, that's a fun color on you, Natsuki-chan."

She huffed and managed to get her face back to a healthier color.

"I'm going, Fujino-san."

"Still so formal." Shigeru stretched his arms above his head. "You can call me Shigeru, when you're comfortable with using my name. Go then, Natsuki-chan."

She nodded and excused herself. Shigeru watched her leave with the grin still on his lips. He swung one of his shoulders around experimentally.

"Well, it's not like I need to stay in bed any longer," he muttered to himself. "I still have some fight left in me too."

* * *

"_Natsuki."_

_Natsuki opened her eyes sleepily and nuzzled the back of Shizuru's neck. They were curled up together underneath down blankets, wearing as many clothes as they could manage in the strange cold snap that had invaded Fuuka for the week. The heat would not be turned on in another month, but they would bear it. _

"_Hmm?"_

"_Your attendance card had a few marks on it today."_

_Natsuki paused and lifted her head slightly. Shizuru sighed from the lack of attention, but she waited until Natsuki spoke._

"… _What of it?"_

"_I took care of it when I stopped by to speak with the Principal, but you know I am going to ask you why."_

"_I had something to take care of today. I needed to do it alone."_

"_Today is the anniversary, isn't it?"_

_She paused._

"_How did you—"_

"_Ara, I would hope I wasn't just imagining things when I saw you poke around the flower shop yesterday afternoon."_

_Despite the playful tone, Shizuru laced her fingers around the hands that occupied her stomach. She rubbed comforting circles that caused those hands to grab onto her even more tightly._

"_I'm sorry. Perhaps I shouldn't have pried."_

"_No." Natsuki shook her head. Her voice grew harsh. "It's alright. I should've been over it a while ago. This world is an unforgiving place and it's not going to stop when I want it to."_

_Shizuru turned, then, and their eyes locked. She offered a patient, endearing smile._

* * *

Two figures were waiting for her when she approached the front doors of the mansion. One of them was a man she had seen only passing glimpses of, but she knew his name. Suzushiro Jinpei gave her a critical glance before closing his eyes and letting out a weary sigh.

"I seem to be plagued with forceful individuals who think they can use this house as a barracks," he announced. "Although, I suppose it will be futile in the long run to keep you caged in here."

Natsuki bowed slightly.

"I am grateful for your generosity," she replied quietly. "I hope we'll meet again under better circumstances."

Jinpei let out a short cough.

"At least you have some good sense, unlike that Shigeru."

He nodded almost to himself. Something other than mild displeasure swam up to his blue eyes but it quickly disintegrated in favor of a grim smile.

"Good luck, Kuga."

He walked out of the hall, leaving just Natsuki and the last visitor. Immediately her eyebrow twitched as she took in the self-satisfied smile of Homura Nagi.

"Oh, don't look at me like that, Kuga-san. I'm just the messenger here. Speaking of which, I have a parcel for you."

He motioned her towards a coat closet that was placed near the entrance of the mansion. She watched him quietly as he opened the closet and gently extracted something wrapped in lavender silk and secured with a red cord. Whatever it was, it easily stood past her height as he set it on one end. She accepted the parcel when Nagi handed it over with some difficulty. It was heavy, whatever it was. She hefted the weight with both hands and tried to discern what it could be. It had the dimensions and feel of a rod but no rod could feel as heavy as this.

"What is this?" she asked finally.

"I was asked by Shizuru nee-chan to retrieve this from the family mansion in Kyoto," Nagi replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "It apparently belonged to her mother. The knotting around the parcel is a bit too intricate for me to undo without cutting them, so I let it be. I'm sure you'll know what to do with it."

Natsuki grasped onto the parcel and set one end of it down on the floor. Nagi took in the image with another nod and smile before waiting for Natsuki's response. She gave him a curt nod.

"I'm ready."

* * *

"_The world is beautiful, Natsuki. After all, you are here."_

"… _You too, Shizuru."_

* * *

AN: The last "flashback" (both the last two sentences and the little bit beforehand) is from an undisclosed time after Shizuru's graduation but before Natsuki's.

The _Dojo-ji_ story I liked more than the other version of Kiyohime I found. They have the same basic similarities like the monk, the bell, and Kiyohime either burning or crushing the monk to death in the bell. Shigeru's interpretation of the tale is very loose and symbolic, not as literal as Shizuru's take in Mai-hime.

Please let me know what you think! :D


	15. Showdown at the House of White Petals

Good evening, Author here. Thank you for your reviews :)

I'm not sure what happened with the last chapter's submission but hopefully that'll get fixed with this submission. This was done a little quicker than I thought and I didn't really edit it through, so if there are any glaring mistakes I apologize ahead of time.

Mai-hime and related belong to Sunrise

* * *

**Showdown at the House of White Petals**

The tea house complex was unnecessarily huge in Natsuki's opinion. She shuffled through the snow and finally found some steady footing in a path that led up to the expansive traditional mansion that was tucked away in the forest-covered mountains close to Sapporo. Despite stepping out of the ferry hours ago, her legs felt strained and unused to the arduous climb up these mountains. The heavy weight on her back caused her to grasp at the strap that dug into one of her shoulders despite the rather heavy coat she was wearing over her suit. Prior to coming here, Nagi had procured a wooden box that he had left in the ferry's storage and the silk-wrapped parcel had been placed back in this protective case. Briefly she adjusted the parcel that was slung across her back before she looked up at her traveling partner. Nagi was currently perched on a tree limb several feet above her head. His legs swung back and forth with a childish kick as he rested a sniper's scope in front of his right eye. After a moment he hummed in apparent interest before tossing the monocular down towards Natsuki. She opened her hands and let the scope fall into them before she eased it in front of her good eye. The scale of the property was ridiculously immense. It would take at least a good hour to tour the perimeter and find an opening before she could even breach the inner house.

"Is this really it?" she asked quietly.

Nagi nodded before rubbing his gloved hands together.

"This is one of the many tea houses that used to be owned by Fujino Tetsuo, grand patriarch of the family. Now it is relatively empty save for the maids who keep the house tidy and one or two guests who wander in from time to time. If the caravan on wheels we saw just coming up through the mountains a few hours ago is any indication, it'll be your target."

"My target?" Natsuki sucked in a breath and let the cold flow into her lungs. "So I'm alone, then."

Nagi raised his hands in a complacent gesture.

"I'm not going to be much help anyway. I'd probably just get in the way." He smiled. "Besides, I'm not about to risk getting caught by Fujino Kyoko, of all people. Sorry, but this is as far as I can go without dirtying my own hands into this affair."

"Right."

Natsuki returned to her sentinel position with the scope firmly in front of her eye. She could already see that several people were milling in and out of the buildings, people she did not see several hours ago when she began her watch to the cue of several black vehicles cutting a path through the snow. After counting a good twelve or so strangers running around the premises, she frowned and tucked the scope away in a holster situated on her belt.

"The main house is easy enough to find, but the corridors inside are a little tricky," Nagi explained. "Personally I'd avoid mucking around in the middle of the hallways. It's an old building, so the floor tends to creak."

"I'll keep that in mind," Natsuki replied, feeling somewhat distracted.

She turned. She knew she heard something. These forests were inhabited by deer and foxes, but she had seen only a few when they first entered. Whatever it was, it did not want to be found. There was some commotion down below that Duran reacted to with a warning bark that caused her to refocus on the property. Natsuki whipped out the scope and realized with a sickening drop to her stomach that the strangers were now mobilizing and creeping up to where she was.

"What the hell…"

"That's my cue to leave," Nagi announced suddenly.

Natsuki looked up with her mouth slightly agape before she realized that she had been had.

"You little punk!"

"Hey, I said I'd lead you to where the place was. I'm not going to fight your battles for you," Nagi argued. He then frowned. "And quit making so much noise unless you want to be found before you even get into the house."

She gave him one final glare before bolting from her spot. Nagi watched her blend into the woods and sighed, resting his hand on his cheek. His famous Cheshire grin began to grow in anticipation for the inevitable showdown.

"Well, this should be fun."

* * *

Natsuki did not get very far when she suddenly backpedaled and nearly fell on her bottom from the change in motion. The tree that would have been beside her had she kept going was assaulted by four throwing stars that buried themselves neatly into the bark. Her foot slid through the snow in a wide arc as she turned and faced where they could have been thrown from. Just as she expected, she saw nothing but snow-covered evergreens. Something shone through for a split second before Natsuki grabbed at the bottom of the parcel on her back. She whipped the parcel up in a wide arc so that it was now was slung across her front. Three more throwing stars were knocked out of their paths during this action and two merely snipped the protective box before flying past Natsuki's cheek. She flung the parcel back to its original position and secured it with one hand grasping the bottom half before she took off in a path parallel to the tea house beneath her.

More stars followed her but she was faster. It was only when a knife connected with what looked to be an explosive slammed into a tree limb above her that her crazy run was stopped. A shower of needles and burnt pine covered her as she threw up her arms and coughed in the sudden explosion. She opened one eye hesitantly and managed to see the leg that was headed in her general direction. With a shove of her hand she knocked the leg out of its trajectory so she could scramble away from the smoking mess and finally get a good look at her assailant.

The throwing stars and nifty explosion already clued her in to the occupation of this person, but this wasn't a storybook ninja dressed in dark garb and armed with a cowl and facemask like she was used to seeing on television. This ninja did have a red facemask but was also wearing what looked to be a boy's school uniform, complete with a canvas school bag slung around the ninja's shoulders. Long, dark green hair was gathered at the base of the ninja's neck with a white ribbon, but it was still hard to tell whether this slight individual was a boy or girl. Natsuki squinted but her deductions were put on hold when the ninja charged towards her.

She blocked the first set of punches and dodged the kick. The parcel's end dragged against the snow and she nearly tripped backwards, unused to the added handicap of having the thing on her back. If she crouched or did anything that involved lowering her center of gravity, the parcel would stick to the ground. This limited her kicking abilities severely. The ninja seemed to notice this as well but only fought harder, using this handicap as an advantage. With a disgusted frown Natsuki finally began to hunker down and actually read the ninja's attack pattern. She knew she couldn't just brawl her way out of this obstacle unless she wanted to tire herself out this early in the game. The ninja loved to get in close, she realized after blocking several swipes. She recognized this straightforward manner of attacking even if the speed was a little faster than she was used to. However, the strength was lacking in the ninja's strikes and soon Natsuki figured out why.

Without the advantage of distance the ninja was reduced to hand-to-hand and maybe the use of throwing knives as melee weapons. Natsuki quickly surmised that the ninja would be reluctant to get rid of the few remaining projectile weapons unless hand-to-hand was compromised. She began to formulate a plan. This time, the parcel would help instead of hinder. It was easily 2 and a half meters long when she checked, and it was an excellent marker for distance when depth perception was compromised. Natsuki knew that she had a range of at least half that when she was fighting in confined places such as this forest, so having the extra meter as a guide would be very advantageous.

She jumped back to avoid the swipe intended for her face. Using this sudden change of stance, she managed to hop a step before swinging herself around, gathering enough momentum into her legs. This gathered momentum unleashed itself into a butterfly kick. The ninja might have scoffed at this aesthetic move and probably knocked her legs away if it were not for the parcel on her back. The added length the parcel contributed transformed this kick into a heavier force likened to a helicopter's blades moving in full speed. She landed in a slight crouch with the parcel secured over her shoulders and both of her hands grasping onto it. With a slight heave she nearly threw the parcel off of her shoulders. All two and a half meters of the heavy box slammed onto the ground in front of it, nearly taking out the ninja in front of her. The ninja nimbly skipped away but was caught behind the knee when Natsuki yanked the parcel up and swung it back into place in one wide circle that caught a few twigs.

_Gotcha!_

Natsuki grinned as she swung the parcel onto her back once more. Green needles and snow clumps showered down around them. It wasn't a clean hit, but it was a hit nonetheless and ninjas weren't known for their resilience. The ninja tumbled into a snowdrift beneath a lofty pine and landed in a most ungraceful manner at the foot of the tree. The ninja popped out of the snow and paused for a second as clouds of steam emanated from the facemask. Natsuki watched the ninja's hands carefully. The hands remained slack for a fraction of a second before snapping straight. The fingers went through a series of motions, enunciated by the sharp tones of the ninja commanding them.

"_Rin, Pyo, To, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen… Ko_!!"

Something curious happened. Natsuki felt herself unable to move, as if her feet had been pinned to the snowy ground. She attempted to move her arms and legs, only to run into an impenetrable force that kept her limbs invisibly locked. With a strained breath she stared at the ninja, who up to this time had shown little to no emotion except for the brief shock of getting tossed into a snow bank. This time those eyes expressed a smug sense of accomplishment.

"Got you."

Natsuki let out a growl as she attempted to move her hands. Only her fingers managed to make any sort of progress, but the feeble twitches only served to agitate her further instead of encouraging her. The ninja watched her struggles with a mild sense of amusement.

"I'll admit that you were a hard one to pin, but everyone has a shadow that they can't hide," the ninja announced. "Although… you seem to be fighting this a bit better than I would have expected."

The ninja's hands, which were still clasped together from the final call, now strengthened their grip accordingly. It felt like she was stuck in the suspended feeling of hitting the end of a long descent in a roller coaster. The illusion of extra gravity forced her down to her hands and knees. With great difficulty her neck strained so she could look up at the ninja.

"Sit," the ninja ordered. "I don't want to hurt you any more than what's necessary to subdue you. So hold still like a good dog, will you?"

Another growl came from Natsuki, this one deeper than the last. The ninja blinked in sudden confusion, but Natsuki's lips twitched before growing into a smile.

"Don't you know," Natsuki said quietly, shocking the ninja even more. "Don't you know… **you shouldn't order a wolf?**"

The last words were spoken in a beastly voice that could not have belonged to any normal human. The shadow under the ninja's control began to morph slowly, causing the ninja to look down. Soon, the human shape disappeared into a monstrous growth before the shadow began to retreat within certain lines that revealed the recognizable shape of a wolf. The ninja looked up back towards Natsuki's emerald eyes. The images didn't fit. The opponent was still human, that was for sure. The ninja's fingers began to grow slack.

Those cold eyes were the last thing the ninja saw before Natsuki charged. The parcel caught the ninja in the throat and with an almighty heave Natsuki managed to swing the ninja into another tree. This time the ninja stood put, sliding down on the trunk to land in an untidy heap at the exposed roots. Natsuki panted heavily and tried to shake off the residual heaviness her limbs felt before she walked over to the ninja to investigate her work. With a small nudge of her foot, the ninja rolled over. Several buttons of the uniform jacket that had gotten caught from a throwing star embedded into the parcel were ripped away, revealing something that made Natsuki raise an eyebrow.

"A girl?"

She took a knee beside the ninja and pulled down the facemask with a finger. After a moment she clucked her tongue disapprovingly and redid the facemask before standing up.

"Kids these days." Natsuki sniffed and looked out towards her destination. "… I hope the rest of them aren't this difficult to manage."

Duran growled in agreement and she adjusted the parcel on her back once more before resuming a more leisurely walk down to the tea house.

After a few minutes of hiding out in a snow bluff and ambushing the perimeter guard with a smart smack upside the head with the parcel, Natsuki found herself in privately-owned land. She knew immediately what this would mean for her. She sighed and sidled up to the walls that surrounded the main group of buildings. She frowned as she studied her first wall, but she took several steps back and heaved in a breath. She ran up and next to the wall before slamming her foot against it during her next stride. Using this momentary hold she neatly ran up the wall and managed to grab onto the edge, enabling her to vault over. Her initial look around notified her to yet another wall. This one was shorter in height but felt a little sturdier when she pressed her palms against it. After studying this particular obstacle she jumped up as high as she could. Her fingertips barely grazed the edge of the wall but she dug her toes into the sturdy material and did a slippery little hop, allowing her hands to smack onto the top of the wall and establish a hand hold. She dangled there for a second to recover before heaving herself up, using her legs to scramble up the surface before she stopped in a low crouch on top of the wall. There, she waited until the timing was down pat.

The guard didn't even know what hit him when he rounded the corner. All he knew was that it was something he probably wouldn't have wanted to run into, and he wasn't being paid enough for this job anyway. This was his last thought before he was knocked out cold by a combination of another person's weight and a rather heavy box colliding onto his head. Natsuki hopped up and brushed the snow off of her sleeves before assessing the situation.

_Cakewalk. They probably thought their guard dog would occupy me for longer._

She turned and addressed the imposing tea house with a feral grin.

_Showtime._

* * *

Mai awoke to another stinging headache. This one she bore without a complaint as she sat up in her bed and stared out the window. After struggling through breakfast and taking a shower, she donned some warmer clothes and mindlessly walked out of the Suzushiro mansion. Someone seemed to shout out to her, but she paid it no heed as she continued to walk. Her mind wasn't going to register anything other than the steady breaths that were taken in tandem to her own. This was a comfortable madness. On the plus side, she would never be alone, not with Kagutsuchi around. When the embittered spirit finally stopped his monologue about burning the heavens and earth with never-ending fire, he seemed to be a rather companionable essence. Mai took it for what it was worth. There was really nothing left for her, after all.

_Nothing left._

Without realizing it, Mai walked down the familiar streets of downtown Fuuka and ended up at where it all began. Her feet finally stopped when they nudged against the charred remains of the _Edelweiss_ café and she looked up listlessly. Years of savings and hard work, gone. The cleaning crews did enough to remove the wreckage that had littered the streets. The yellow caution tape was strewn all over the site and she merely grabbed on to one of the tapes before letting go and settling for watching her burnt dreams instead. Suddenly she felt a surge of anger towards the entity in her mind, but it washed away just as soon as it came. What was the point of growing angry when it was her hands that orchestrated this destruction?

Footsteps shuffled up near her and she turned to face a young man her age. He was dressed warmly with a woolen coat and what looked to be a knotty, hand-knitted scarf that was tossed haphazardly around his neck—the opposite of Reito's neatly tucked-in woolen scarves. His hair was in choppy spikes that stood in every direction, but the stranger aspect of his hair would have to have been the two-tone color of it. Lighter orange spikes stood out in a wild array over the darker bottom half of his hair. He had his hands stuffed in his coat pockets and a crooked smile on his face that did not quite reach his eyes. In another time Mai would have smiled back, but this time she merely stared at the familiar face that failed to bring a sense of comfort with it.

"… Yuichi."

"Yo, Mai."

He stood next to her. In this silence they both stared up at the desolated café. For a moment something seized up inside her and she almost broke from the pressure, but the presence in her mind managed to push away this overwhelming sadness before it could break through. Instead, she merely took in a shaky breath and expelled it with a quiet sigh that brought a drifty cloud of white steam floating in front of her.

"I heard about the fire yesterday over the news," Yuichi prompted. Despite his nonchalant manner, Mai could see his hands twitch. "I came over here as fast as I could."

_Liar. You live near that shrine. It would have taken you only fifteen minutes._

Mai shook her head.

"It's fine. I'm… glad you came."

Yuichi raised an eyebrow but wisely chose to remain quiet in response to the hollow statement. He looked at the ruins for another moment before settling his gaze back on her.

"I was worried about you," he continued. "I know how much that café meant to you."

… _To us, Yuichi. To us._

Mai never took her eyes off of the ruins even as she felt those brown eyes focus on her. Shoes shuffled against the snow and an awkward cough echoed in the stillness.

"Listen, Mai… if you need anything, you can give me a call. If you need money, or even a place to stay, I can offer it to you."

Finally Mai tore her eyes off the charred mess and settled her gaze over Yuichi, who visibly cringed at the deadened look.

"Thank you for your offer," she intoned in a voice that denoted anything but thankfulness.

"… Yeah." Tate returned to staring out at the ruins. "Mai… don't work yourself up over this."

"Don't… don't work myself up over this?"

A strange laugh tumbled out of Mai's lips and Tate closed his eyes at the harsh, mocking sound.

"Yuichi… you _never_ worked yourself up over _anything_," Mai continued in a loathing tone. "All you ever did was play me for a _fool_, just to leave when your game failed to give you enjoyment."

"Mai, I never meant—"

"You never meant to hurt me, I'd imagine," Mai interrupted. She stared at him impassively. "Why can't you just stop, Yuichi. You've done enough."

Their gazes locked until Yuichi finally shook his head in a brusque manner and sighed explosively.

"… Fine. Fine. I'm tired of trying to fix this burning bridge," Yuichi said quietly.

"You were the one who burned it," Mai replied simply. "I offered up everything to you, but there's nothing left that you can take from me. I have nothing."

Silence followed this statement. It weighed heavily on their shoulders but Yuichi was the first to budge. He turned and stuffed his shaking hands in his pockets before angrily marching away through the snow. As he crossed the street, Mai followed his retreating back with her eyes until he safely made it across to a waiting young woman with pink hair and wide eyes. Those eyes locked onto her own before the younger girl gave a noticeably startled expression. When Yuichi asked about it, however, the girl shook her head and latched onto his arm. Before they left together, however, the girl gave Mai one more hesitant glance before a passing bus obscured their vision. When it passed by, the couple was gone.

_**Interesting. I believe she saw me, girl.**_

Mai stared at where the couple once stood.

"Let her," she said impassively. "Let them all see you."

Kagutsuchi voiced his opinion with a hearty roar that caused the once-frigid air around Mai to warm to a more comfortable temperature. Mai gave one last look at her café before she began to walk away.

… _**You aren't going back to the mansion.**_

_No, I don't think I will._

_**Then…**_

Mai massaged her forehead in an agitated fashion.

_There's nothing left, here. I have no place._

_**I suppose it's time, then.**_

Kagutsuchi offered no explanation, but Mai didn't need one. Instead, she wrapped her coat around herself and stared out into the distance.

_**What do you desire?**_

"Take me to her," Mai ordered finally. Violet eyes flashed and she frowned. "Take me to the person who caused all of this to happen."

_**As you wish, Mai-hime.**_

* * *

Shizuru studied with extreme indifference the varied smiles plastered on her relatives' faces. At the moment her cousin and aunt were sitting side by side in relative silence. Kyoko was dressed in a conservative black kimono with a decorative winter landscape adorning the bottom, whereas her daughter had settled for a dark gray suit with a pencil skirt. Shizuru herself had opted for a lavender kimono the same color as the wisterias her family name was based off of. This was a color reserved for the Fujino family since centuries long ago, and as such Shizuru was the only one in the room who could wear such a shade.

"This house brings back so many memories," Kyoko remarked in a jovial tone. "Remember, Shizuru? This was the house we used for your winter tea ceremony to the family backers in Sapporo."

Shizuru inclined her head in a nod but refused to really comment on her aunt's exclamation. To be honest, she didn't quite care about the numerous tea ceremonies she performed in the houses strewn across the country. She knew that this was only a brief break they would allow her to take in exchange for the real trouble she would be getting into as soon as they arrived in Kyoto. Once there, it would be very simple to declare Shigeru bedridden and her unfit to run the family, once more bringing Tomoe and now Kyoko into the family's politics. She could very well argue and throw a fight into the mix to secure her position, but she also knew that this pair was not one to mess around with. Her time to operate was growing recklessly short, but she kept her cool.

The door to the tea room slid open once more, revealing a young girl of around eleven years of age. She too was dressed in a kimono, this one a fair shade of crystal blue that corresponded to the peculiar crystalline quality of her eyes. Light hair was pulled up into a bun similar to the one Shizuru had put her hair in, except this girl had decided to adorn her hair with several golden charms that caught the light and produced a visible sheen. She bowed and demurely walked in, followed by an older woman dressed in a maid's uniform. This was no ordinary maid, however, and her appearance was met with a courteous smile from Shizuru and a soft frown from Kyoko who nevertheless acknowledged the pink-haired maid with a nod.

"Good evening Mashiro-chan, Fumi-han," Shizuru said with a small bow towards her remaining guests.

"Good evening, Shizuru-nee-san," Mashiro replied in her quiet tone. She turned and looked at the remaining relatives. "Good evening, Kyoko-oba-san, Tomoe-nee-san."

"Good evening, Fujino-sama, Marguerite-sama, Tomoe-sama," Fumi said with a deep bow to each.

Greetings were exchanged all around with curt nods from Tomoe which curiously went unpunished from the normally strict Kyoko. Instead the older woman seemed rather incensed over the arrival of the young girl and her maid, but she failed to express this sentiment and instead focused back on Shizuru who merely passed her new guests several hand-made sweets.

The tea was served in complete silence aside from the appropriate lines directed towards Shizuru. This was not a formal ceremony but the mood seemed to dictate that anything but silence would not be tolerated. Shortly after the tea was finished and the sweets tray was packed away, Kyoko stood and announced that she would retire for the evening. She was met with a bevy of bows and left the quiet room to go to her office. This was followed shortly by Tomoe announcing that she would be leaving as well, and then the room contained three once more. This time Shizuru allowed herself to show something other than disinterest as she looked down at her earnest cousin with a soft smile on her lips.

"Ara, you didn't have to come up here, Mashiro-chan. I have heard from Nagi-kun that your health is not in its best state right now."

"I wanted to make sure you were unharmed," Mashiro replied in a firm but quiet tone. "Not that I don't trust Nagi, but I wanted to see with my own eyes just what is going on at this time."

"Mashiro-sama and Homura-sama expressed concern over your treatment during the past year," Fumi added.

Shizuru raised an eyebrow.

"Did he, now. What an odd boy, to be expressing concern over something that has proven to be a bit trivial in light of our current situation." Shizuru frowned and watched the heated pot in front of her. "Nagi-kun mentioned to me about your connections to Kagutsuchi."

Mashiro blinked. "He told you about our visit to Tokiha-san's café?"

"It was from an information exchange. I volunteered to subdue her when the spirit emerged in exchange for my freedom, and he explained your involvement with the spirit."

Mashiro digested this development and retreated within herself for a moment to collect her bearings.

"Things did not go as well as I would have liked," Mashiro admitted. "Kagutsuchi chose a medium who is… unstable."

"What do you mean by that?" Shizuru asked with a frown.

"Tokiha-san was not meant to be the medium of Kagutsuchi, yet he chose her for reasons beyond what I can infer, but it comes down to this. Kagutsuchi had been planning for something, and he intends to use Mai as a springboard for that plan."

"Mashiro-sama was meant to be the medium of Kagutsuchi, however now we realize that we may have made a grievous error and the roles are now switched."

Shizuru turned towards Fumi. "Roles?"

"We think that the man known as John Smith might have something to do with this tampering," Mashiro replied. "My predictions clearly stated that I would be the medium for Kagutsuchi and Tokiha Mai would serve as the vessel for the entity who calls herself Izanami."

Shizuru stared at Mashiro in mild shock.

"… Izanami? That is the same name as the goddess who gave birth to Kagutsuchi." She looked down and thought for a second. "But I don't understand. How does this explain the switch?"

"Fumi-san and I have thought about this, and we have come to an unfinished conclusion. Someone was able to tamper with the transmutation process, and because of it Kagutsuchi was awakened before Izanami. The spirit sought to create a contract, and tricked Tokiha Mai into agreeing to one when she was left vulnerable and unconsciously waiting for her intended contractor."

"And this brings in John Smith to your suspicions," Shizuru added after a moment to parse through the explanation.

Mashiro nodded before her eyes suddenly grew dark.

"I cannot trust a man who willingly sent innocent lives to be tested on in some backwards notion of finding a 'cure.' Kuga-san was one of those unfortunates who will live with the knowledge that what she has contained within her is less of a beast than a lot of humans in this world."

"Such bitter words from such young lips." Shizuru folded a handkerchief into the sleeve of her kimono. "There are always other sides of these stories. Mai-han, for instance, has accepted a contract with a rather volatile being who would not think twice about harming innocents. But you have a point… John Smith has rather enigmatic intentions."

She stood from her spot and gently smoothed away the front of her kimono before giving a small wave towards the door.

"It's growing rather cold out, and the maids are probably done with your room, Mashiro-chan. Please take the time to rest."

"And you?" Mashiro asked as she stood with Fumi. "I have heard reports before arriving that there may be a disturbance in the property."

A quaint smile formed on Shizuru's lips as she heard this news. Mashiro studied this smile and blinked, but finally shook her head and excused herself from the room with Fumi following behind. When she was alone, Shizuru tapped her cheek with a finger and turned to face the rice paper doors.

"Ara, this should make the evening much more entertaining."

* * *

"Freeze, motherfucker!"

The lackey had no time to react or even form a response as he suddenly was smacked across the jaw with a very long wooden box. This almighty wallop tossed the hapless fellow into an even heavier wooden post before he slid down into a heap. Natsuki leveled the box around her shoulders and gave a satisfied snort.

"That makes twelve."

She quickly did the math in her head and came up with a lovely zero. Twelve down, none to go. Right now there seemed to be a shortage of people running around what she assumed would be a heavily-guarded fortress. Then again, she reasoned, they had brought only four vehicles and probably did not stuff them to the brim like clown cars. She took this moment to pause and catch her breath as her fingers tapped against the box. Even with her augmented stamina the box was beginning to weigh down on her and she frowned.

"Whatever the hell this box contains, it better be worth my time," she muttered to herself.

The next stop in the massive mansion was a favorable one. By some good chance she managed to find herself in the empty kitchens, whereupon she saw a stack of handmade sweets that she recognized from a tea ceremony she had once attended. She studied the delicate display and vast array of sweet colors before picking up a pink rice cake and chomping down onto the chewy treat. She paused, stared at the rice cake, and finished it off before stuffing in another cake.

"… Huh. Rich people really do have it good," she said as she picked up several more and wrapped them in a handkerchief that she tucked back into her pocket.

With her impromptu break over, she reassessed her position. She was in dangerous territory, but she had taken care of the pesky guard problem. However, she had yet to see Tomoe Marguerite, and if any earlier meetings were indicative of the woman she knew she wasn't quite out of danger yet. Then there was the issue of Kyoko Marguerite to consider. If Shigeru was indeed correct and Kyoko did harbor something in her that was like her Duran, Natsuki knew she would be in some hot water.

_Well, it's not like I want to beat the shit out of everyone. I just want to get Shizuru out of there and go home._

She edged out silently to the edge of the hallway and was momentarily surprised that her footsteps did not set off some sort of awful creak that would cause more guards to come running in. She begrudgingly acknowledged Nagi's advice and continued to creep down the hall, sticking solely to the extreme edges that hugged the walls of the house. True to Nagi's word, the hallways did seem to wind in and out at strange angles, leaving Natsuki somewhat confused until common sense told her that she had other tools to her disposal. She crouched down and paused, cupping her hands around the top of her head. After a moment a fuzzy pair of triangular ears poked through her hair and she paused. Instantly the sound magnified to almost impossible proportions and soon she began to hear the wood creak from footsteps within the inner sanctum of the house. Whispers of conversations followed these footsteps and she frowned before standing and shaking her head. The ears disappeared and she clenched her jaw, surprised at how easily she was able to call upon this action.

_I'm getting close if I can control myself this easily._

After a cursory look through what she deemed were empty rooms, she happened to trip upon one that looked like it could belong to a very young child. She took in the stuffed toys and the tiny rocking chair in the corner of the room before frowning and focusing back on the task at hand. She snuck back out of the room and gently slid the doors shut behind her.

_Odd, I don't remember Shizuru having infant relatives as well._

Something caused her to stop where she was. There was a certain quality about the moment that unnerved her. This was suddenly given a name and face when her hand shot out and slammed the doors open again, revealing what looked to be a rather incensed young woman. She blinked, and that quiet moment shattered when Tomoe's face scrunched up in an expression Natsuki would recognize on someone who smelled something particularly foul. Natsuki nimbly skipped back and broke into a full on run. Dimly she could hear the garbled orders that Tomoe roared, but she knew that they wouldn't be answered for a while. She neatly carved a path through the winding hallways, this time ending up in an even larger room that could have served as a dojo of sorts. Natsuki felt herself skid to a stop when confronted with waves of flaxen hair that could have belonged to only one person in her opinion.

"Sh-Shizuru!"

Shizuru looked up with slightly widened eyes.

"Natsuki?..."

"YOU'RE MINE!"

The doors crashed open when they were bludgeoned with what looked to be a pole arm. Natsuki ducked and barely avoided the swipe that was aimed for her head. She turned and backpedaled to get out of the way of the debris as an enraged Tomoe stepped over the door she just cut down. Tomoe was in no condition to stop, either. With a roar she pivoted and swung the blunt end of the halberd like a golf club with every intention of using Natsuki's head as her baseball. The speed was incredible—Natsuki thought her arm was broken at first when she attempted to shield herself from the unavoidable move. She felt herself flying towards the wall but managed to flip back onto her feet and slide to a landing. Tomoe swung the weapon behind her and charged full on.

"Natsuki, the box!"

Somehow, her numb and shaky fingers managed to undo the strap that held the box closed onto her back. She wasn't quite sure how Shizuru got to her in time, but what mattered was that the lavender silk of the parcel now in front of her was providing a shield to waylay the impending attack. The seemingly impossible knots that kept the parcel wrapped were undone with a simple flick of Shizuru's fingers. As the silk fluttered to the floor Shizuru then pivoted, twisting around in a full circle to build enough momentum. When Tomoe's halberd made contact, it did so with the blade of a rather fearsome weapon in a most capable pair of hands.

Natsuki had seen Shizuru wield a naginata only once in her life, and that was merely a wooden imitation to practice forms with. It was still indicative of her prowess with the weapon, yet the potential of Shizuru's skill with the blade was never quite understood until right at this moment when she was locked in a stalemate with a rage-infused Tomoe. With a simple push, the stalemate was broken and Tomoe found her weapon nearly recoiling at the controlled movement from Shizuru. Tomoe lowered her head and glared at the two.

"Step aside, Shizuru-sama," Tomoe ordered harshly. "Get away from that monster."

Natsuki wasn't quite sure what was going on. Her throbbing arm took her attention away from Tomoe's warning but she could see that the muscles of Shizuru's back were now very tight. With a practiced swing the naginata's blade was now positioned directly in front of Tomoe's chest.

"Touch my Natsuki again and we'll see what happens," Shizuru replied in a tone that encouraged no backtalk.

Something was already very off with the girl, Natsuki concluded, but the look in Tomoe's eyes after that statement was nothing short of a psychotic break. Shizuru was not amused, however, and was ready for it when Tomoe suddenly swung her weapon in a wild rage, this time directed towards her. She quickly knocked the first strike away with another flick of the naginata, making the action look especially effortless by her calm expression. They traded blows until Shizuru decided not to indulge in this conflict any longer. She narrowed her eyes and caught Tomoe's halberd mid-swing with her own weapon before slamming the naginata down onto the floor. The pinned halberd was subsequently stuck to the floor and Shizuru looked back at a seething Tomoe.

"This is over, Tomoe," Shizuru said softly. "Let us go."

Tomoe grimaced at her new failure and the grip over her weapon tightened. Shizuru closed her eyes.

"Then you give me no choice."

When Shizuru moved, Natsuki almost missed it. The blunt end of the naginata whipped around and knocked into the back of Tomoe's knees, causing them to buckle to the floor. Shizuru turned and brought the blade around in a wide arc with Tomoe's exposed neck standing in the way. Natsuki blinked but found that the younger girl was lying on the floor, comatose, with her head still attached. Shizuru stood over her with the butt of her weapon still extended from knocking into Tomoe's head. She took in a steadying breath before letting the naginata rest by bringing the weapon behind her with the blade's tip touching the floor. When she turned, the deep crimson of her eyes eased to a kinder and more recognizable glow.

"Are you alright?"

Natsuki barely nodded.

"I think so. Arm's not broken, so I'll be fine soon."

Natsuki took in a deep breath before she pushed herself up to her feet. She took one last look at Tomoe before grimacing and turning back towards Shizuru. After fidgeting for a moment Natsuki finally grabbed Shizuru with her uninjured arm and pulled her close. For some reason her mind traveled back to when Mai had raked her nails against Shizuru's back and the resulting protectiveness that Duran projected manifested itself when Natsuki grasped onto Shizuru's shoulder in the awkward embrace.

_Never again._

"Let's get the hell out of here and go home," she mumbled.

She felt Shizuru nod and she pulled away with a small smile on her face. It soon faded, however, when Duran perked up at the introduction of a familiar presence. Natsuki slowly turned her head so that she was staring at the ceiling of the room. Shizuru followed her gaze albeit with a concerned frown. Something hummed above them, something that teemed with an awful heat. A circle began to form. It burned bright red that turned to black when the wood simply seemed to vaporize due to the intense heat that was being subjected to it. Through this entryway floated down a familiar face and familiar rings of fire. Natsuki stared up at Mai, who looked down at them with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Mai? What are you doing here?" Natsuki demanded.

"Natsuki, Shizuru-san." Mai gave them both a nod. "I wasn't expecting to see the two of you here."

Something fell in Natsuki's stomach at that unsettling statement but she paid it little heed as she gaped at Mai.

"What are you doing here?" Natsuki repeated.

"She won't answer that question," Shizuru replied suddenly. She turned and faced Natsuki. "Natsuki, we need to get out of here."

Natsuki turned. "What?"

"We need to get out of here _now_," Shizuru stressed.

Mai lifted a hand slowly. Small streaks of fire began to gather and rotate around her fingers until it formed a glowing orb of red and orange. This she pointed out in front of her. This tranquility lasted only a second longer until the orb exploded in a beam of raging hellfire that engulfed the area immediately in front of her. Shizuru and Natsuki felt themselves getting knocked back by the intense heat as Kagustuchi threw his head back and laughed in utter delight.

_**Mai-hime, deliver your divine judgment!**_

* * *

AN: Hurr. It looks like it's going to get tougher for our darling couple. But they're together, so anything's possible at this point.

Cheers.


	16. Slipping Away

Good... Ehm, Good morning, Author here. I just looked at the clock, lol. Oh well.

Thank you for your continued viewings and reviews. I'm glad my other foray into the world of Mai-hime was received well, perhaps this is a sign to continue writing? :D

Mai-hime and related belong to Sunrise

* * *

**Slipping Away**

The snow seemed to turn black as it fluttered down around them, only to vaporize into thin air before it could even hit the ground. It was getting difficult to breathe as the flames sucked in the oxygen like a vacuum, further engorging the destruction and depriving even more life in the process. It was hotter than they could tolerate. Natsuki had always been so used to the bitter, unforgiving cold. She embraced it even when her name clearly pointed out the fact that she was summer's child, a summer's tree. Winter was her season, and ice was her element. Mai was a summer's child, a true summer's child of heat and flame, of joy and passion. Compared to Natsuki's cold and calculating personality, Mai was the one who entertained more friends and the one who was invited to more events during their school years. Natsuki had only entertained the notion of being good friends with one person; the rest had come along with Mai's influence and as such did not hold as much significance as the woman now firmly behind her. Shizuru was the epitome of a winter's child, a white porcelain figure who seemed so frail it would break with the passing of the first northern wind. But snow gathered and blizzards formed underneath those cool crimson eyes and emerged from beneath quaint smiles, creating a force that could have matched Natsuki's own proficiency with the cold.

Perhaps that was why Duran had been so taken with this mistress of control. Either way, the wolf fiercely stood his ground in front of his mistress as his lone green eye focused on Mai. Natsuki wasn't sure when she had transformed, but she realized with a jolt that this ease of shifting and level of finesse was unprecedented. The transformation had always been tricky to hold—Duran had a habit of wanting to run off on his own and leaving Natsuki inside his mind to struggle to rein him in. Now with Shizuru so close by, Duran kept himself together and faced down Mai's impassive glance with a cautious glare of his own. The wolf was literally monstrous this time, easily larger than the largest horse and with a tail that could have competed on its own in terms of size. Instead of trapping heat, the body emanated a natural cold that enabled the air around Duran to retain at least some of the precious oxygen from being vaporized by the heat.

"**Are you unharmed?**" Duran asked in a deep rumble.

Shizuru took in a deep breath and nodded faintly. Something flickered in Duran's eye and he inclined his head in a short nod before he turned back to face Mai.

"**I will not lose you again,**" the wolf growled bitterly, prompting Shizuru to wonder just _who_ was saying this.

Duran glared at Mai. His tail flicked agitatedly, sending a spray of ice crystals out in a wide arc. As the crystals hit the blast of hot air around Mai, they melted into a fine mist that helped to alleviate some of the heat.

"**Kagutsuchi! Stop hiding behind that girl and face me.**"

Mai looked down as water managed to hit her cheek.

_**You aren't worth my time, wolf. Be glad to know that you are not my target for the night.**_

Mai extended another hand, this time pointing it to her left. Another ball of fire formed from her fingertips.

_**Know this, Fujino of Kyoto. One in your employ holds my destruction, and I am here to secure myself from that fate. Step aside, and I will relinquish Mai-hime.**_

Shizuru stiffened as she heard Kagutsuchi's mandate trickle into her mind. Who was he referring to? One of her hands grasped onto Duran's fur and her fingers curled into a fist. Duran cocked his head to the side at the gesture and hunkered down so his face was level with Shizuru's. His tail wrapped around them both and encased them in a comfortable coolness that fought down the unbearable heat.

"**What do you desire?**" the wolf asked after a moment.

"There is no fight here that we will participate in." She brought her free hand out to stroke Duran's muzzle. "Kagutsuchi searches for someone who we do not associate with…"

Her orders were interrupted to the sound of clapping. All of the conscious occupants of the room stopped their stalemate and turned to see a blond-haired man with small glasses acknowledging them with his hands clapping against each other. A simpering little smile lit up his face as he observed the destruction and the fire weaving around Mai's limbs.

"So, we are all gathered now," Smith said after he stopped clapping. "How wonderful, if not a little later than I would have expected."

Immediately Kagutsuchi roared.

_**Filthy meddler!**_

Mai's fingers zeroed in on Smith, but he waved a finger in mild admonishment. Surprisingly enough, Mai did not fire.

"I wouldn't want to be too hasty. You know that I am the only one who can help you," Smith said gently, prompting no response from the enraged beast. "The same goes for you, Miss Kuga."

Duran straightened.

"**You will do no such thing.**"

Smith barely contained the disgusted curl of his lips as he stared at the wolf.

"I was speaking to Miss Kuga, not to you," he snarled. "You have no say in what will happen, monster."

Duran gnashed his teeth in a threatening display but stopped when he felt Shizuru's fingers press against his side in warning. Mai let loose a sharp roar as her arm reared back.

_**You're mine!!**_

"Mai-han!"

Mai stopped and flicked her gaze down towards Shizuru.

"Please stop this!" she yelled through the blistering heat. "You can fight through it, Mai-han."

Now Mai regarded her with a churlish grin that couldn't have come from her. They wanted to tell themselves that and believe it, but stranger things had happened.

_**And who are you to tell her that she can fight me, when all of you could honestly care less about Mai-hime's struggles?**_

"**Leave her out of this!!**" Duran roared through the din. "**If you want a fight, you'll fight with me!**"

"… What is going on here?"

Now the room grew curiously silent as Kyoko Marguerite stepped out into the decimated room. Her silver eyes took in the strange occupants of her tea house before her gaze finally drew up towards Mai's floating figure. Despite the spectacle Kyoko kept her lips pursed as she studied Mai before she finally flicked her gaze down towards Shizuru and Duran.

"You will explain this," she demanded in a cold tone.

"Mrs. Marguerite, I can explain—"

"Shut your mouth before I shut it for you," Kyoko snapped, throwing a hand up to rebuff Smith without even facing him. Her eyes began to glow in that strange silver light as she studied Shizuru and the wolf beside her. "Shizuru, what is this… this monster doing here?"

Interestingly enough she gestured up towards Mai rather than Duran despite the wolf being clearly visible. Shizuru mentally filed this away for later as she laid a calming hand on the barely-contained Duran next to her. Mai meanwhile had floated down so her feet were skimming across the ground with the tips of her toes grazing the smoking, ruined floor. The flames circled her limbs lazily as she studied Kyoko through the strange glow of her violet eyes.

_**It is what it is, Kiyohime. Just a wonderful reunion amongst our lovely Scions, even if you have been getting on with the years.**_

Kyoko looked up with an impassive tilt of her head.

"Would you mind not speaking for a moment?" she asked in a bored tone. A hint of haughtiness lit her features as she took in Mai's scowl. "Your voice is the last thing I want to tolerate at the moment and you are being a bit rude. I am trying to talk with my niece here, not you."

Mai gave a rather rude snort before rearing her arm back once more.

_**I will do what I please!**_

Duran immediately curled up around Shizuru and erected a circle of ice around them. Through this cold haven they saw the deadly yellow fireball that shot through Mai's fingertips and down towards an unimpressed Kyoko, who merely threw a hand up… and knocked the flame away. The fireball burned a 

hole clean through the rice paper screen, allowing the cold winter wind to race through. Kyoko breathed out slowly through her lips. Mai threw another flame but this one was knocked away in the same manner as the first. The two in the circle of ice stared at the scene speechlessly as Kyoko proceeded to laugh.

"Do you really think you can harm me in your incomplete state? You would do well to leave me while I am still amused at your efforts."

A round of hissing laughs followed this demand and something flickered from beneath her lips as the laughs started to fade. A forked tongue poked out from beneath smiling lips, accompanied by needle-like fangs that began to lengthen as she continued to laugh under her breath at the outraged expression on Mai's face.

"I wonder if you really know jussssst who you are dealing with, Kagutsssuuuchi…"

Kyoko reared back and suddenly opened her mouth, emitting a black flame that roared through the orange and red blazes around them. Mai shifted and brought her arms up into a cross to block the attack, but she found herself being thrown backwards due to the force. Mai righted herself and Kagutsuchi roared something unintelligible as Kyoko stood there with a smug grin on her face.

"Your medium's physssical ssstate meanssss nothing if the connection issss not fulfilled," Kyoko continued as the forked tongue flicked out for a split second. "I can even sssssmell the unsssertainty beneath your medium…"

Duran watched the two exchange a few more blows with unsuccessful jets of red fire dying down with every blast of black. Something surged within the wolf but Duran fought down the urge to dive out of the ice and into the hellfire that seemed to spew out all around them. The wolf shook slightly before Natsuki's thoughts began to flow through.

_It's just fighting fire with fire._

Duran retreated suddenly, leaving a slightly confused Shizuru as Natsuki shook the ice crystals out of her hair.

"We need to get out of here," Natsuki said edgily. "The longer we're here, the more danger we're going to invite to ourselves."

"If we leave Mai-han here she stands a very good chance of not returning," Shizuru pointed out quietly.

"… That's just going to be a chance we'll have to take," Natsuki replied.

Out the corner of her eye, Mai spotted two figures running away from the room. Her lips parted and she struggled to call out to them, but Kagutsuchi snapped her gaze back towards a grinning Kyoko who was readying another bout of black fire.

_**You are alone now, Mai-hime. See how they have abandoned you? All of them will, in the end.**_

_No, that's not true, Natsuki would never…_

_**She will, and she did.**_

The finality behind that statement caused Mai to turn sharply to the right. With a flick of her wrist she called forth her blue fire and aimed it square for Natsuki's back. The sound of someone yelling her name was lost to her ears in the deafening explosion that surrounded her as she felt herself grow curiously light.

This was a strange feeling and a strange sight. Natsuki touched the skies with her fingertips for all of three seconds before she slammed into what felt like concrete.

_Water?_

Natsuki's eyes shot open. Everything was blurry and incredibly dark, with the exception of what looked to be a bubble floating in front of her. She instinctively curled in and clamped her hands in front of her mouth, but the bubbles escaped from her mouth and nose in a foam that caused her lungs to burn. Immediately her mind began to go haywire in panic. She had no air. Her limbs cramped up in the sudden cold shock that flowed through this lack of action and suddenly she found her fingers growing curiously slack.

_No…_

There was a muffled noise as someone else dove into the water as well. The ghostly look of the moonlight shining through long brown hair entranced Natsuki even as she felt her sight begin to drift in and out. Suddenly a pair of hands grasped onto her face and pulled her forwards. Lips pushed through the darkness and clamped over hers, and in one brief second her lungs were inflated as air was forcefully pushed through. Natsuki felt her limbs regain some fraction of their strength and her arms wrapped around Shizuru's waist as her legs finally began to kick. They broke the surface in a mere ten seconds but to Natsuki it felt as if she had been pushing and swimming for hours. For a moment they took oxygen in with ragged pants as they clung to each other in the freezing water. Natsuki spotted a bank that wasn't entirely covered in snow and they swam towards it, finally touching the rocky ground and collapsing onto the ground.

_What had happened?_

Mai had happened. An accompanying fierce blast of heat had followed them out and they were caught in the explosion. Natsuki studied the distance and inwardly paled.

_She's more powerful than I thought. We need to get out of here and regroup._

In an instant Natsuki wrung her hair out and undid the buttons of her coat. The lining was still relatively dry from the short dip they had in the water, so she flung the coat and flicked it out to get rid of excess water. Something fell in an awkward clatter and she registered the fearsome blade of a naginata. She could hear teeth chattering slightly and she looked down at Shizuru who had yet to stand up. Her kimono had been soaked completely through with the dive and Natsuki knew that there was little time to waste. She undid the buckle of her belt and whipped it free in one tug. She strung the belt through a loop of red cord still entwined with the weapon and heaved it up, throwing one end of the belt over her shoulder and looping the other end underneath her arm. Her fingers quickly redid the buckle of the belt so that the weapon was now securely on her back with the makeshift sling. With gentle hands Natsuki managed to get Shizuru to stand before scooping her up into her arms.

"Hold on."

Numb fingers laced around her neck, providing her a faint response as cold, wet hair plastered her neck and face. Natsuki took off into the wilderness, away from the burning spectacle of the tea house and the roars in the distance.

* * *

_And now, the news._

_A freak accident has baffled authorities in Sapporo early yesterday morning when they were called to the scene of a massive fire in a traditional tea house located on private property. The property itself has been burned down completely, leaving nothing but a few outlying buildings. There have been no reports of deaths or casualties as of yet, and the fire is being investigated as to the probable cause. While there has been no official announcement of arson, local residents have been cautioned to keep a watchful eye and to report any suspicious activity immediately to the proper authorities._

…

…

The individual who had walked into the crowded family restaurant was given a cursory look by the waitress before being led to the guest's indicated table. Once directed to the correct booth, the guest nodded and the waitress left to procure another coffee pot. The guest undid the hood of her jacket and slipped off her woolen cap to reveal red hair that looked a bit unruly after being released from the covering. With a brief shake of her head the guest finally sat down and acknowledged the pair studying the menus in front of her.

They looked painfully normal, two girls at least two years older than her. The one who caught her attention first possessed the most exotic red eyes. In a time before this she wondered if she would have flinched after looking into those strange eyes, but right now she surprised herself by feeling a sense of relief. She looked healthy for the most part, with thick brown hair pulled up into a bun. She wore a trim woolen coat over a black turtleneck sweater, and a pair of gloves was tucked under one of her hands as the other held a steaming cup of tea. The one seated at the side facing the aisle wore a white LA Dodgers baseball cap with the initials embroidered on in thick lines with blue thread. She was wearing a black ski jacket with the hood tucked into the stiff collar. Underneath the jacket was a hooded sweatshirt with a zipper that ended near the hoodie's pocket. A cursory look down to the edge of the booth gave away the baggy khaki snowboarding pants the second girl was wearing along with a pair of scuffed sneakers.

"No suit? I'm impressed."

The girl with the cap hid her frown with her cup of coffee.

"Yeah, yeah. Nice seeing you again too, Nao."

"Oh, you bet. You know I just love hanging around this little backwoods area." Nao accepted a cup of coffee and dumped a few packets of sugar in before stirring. "And good morning, Kaichou-san. I see you're looking well."

"Hello again, Yuuki-han," Shizuru replied with a smile.

"So. Yamada nearly freaked out when he called me to run back up here to investigate this fire," Nao said nonchalantly. "He thought you were dead, but alas, my hopes were dashed along with my potential salary increase."

Natsuki cupped a hand over her coffee cup to feel the steam hit her palm. She waited for Shizuru to take a sip of tea before she leaned forward.

"We need to get out of Hokkaido," Natsuki said in a low voice.

Nao paused to look at her for a second before she picked up her coffee cup and gave a derisive snort.

"You know I can't help with that. Hokkaido is under lock down because of this fire and I just got off the last flight in. The news didn't say much but the government is considering labeling this as a terrorist operation so the bureaucracy here is going to be swamped in paperwork soon enough. The only place you can go really is Fuuka because the harbors are still open, but I'm guessing you're trying to avoid going there for as long as you can."

"More like you won't," Natsuki pointed out.

"You're damn right I won't. That's way too much work, and I'm not getting paid enough for it as it is."

Nao set her coffee cup down.

"And no, this is not your cue to start bribing me. I've had enough of dealing with this monsters and science-gone-wrong angle. I'm sorry, but you'll have to stay here in Hokkaido. And with lovely Kaichou-san here who is _very_ recognizable outside of this immediate area I'm going to say that you'll be here for a while. Might want to put some money down on a house or something. Buy a dog, go live a domestic life until this dies down."

"Listen, we can take care of the getting out of here part," Natsuki growled. "I need you to procure a fake ID so we can bypass the security check in the harbor. The trains might be on lockdown but boats are still operational."

"I thought you said you weren't going to go back to Fuuka," Nao replied, growing a little suspicious.

"We're not. We're heading up to the Kuril Islands."

"Kuril Islands…? Wait a minute, that's Russian territory, isn't it?" Nao frowned. "I don't do passport work, Kuga."

"You don't have to. It's just so we can slip on the ferry and get out of here."

Nao didn't seem too convinced about this impromptu plan and instead looked towards Shizuru.

"Alright, Kaichou-san. You're the voice of reason here that I will consider listening to; partly because Kuga over here is a gibbering idiot who thinks that everything is a Metal Gear Solid mission." She ignored the growl coming from beside Shizuru. "Are you honestly trying to go to the Kuril Islands right now?"

"We won't be in any immediate danger if that is your concern," Shizuru replied evenly. "The sooner we leave, the better in my opinion."

Nao leaned back and sighed. She owed Shizuru a favor, anyway. She knew that her mother's hospitalization was an expensive one to pay for and when she discovered once that the bills had been paid in advance and her mother was moved to a nicer facility, Fujino was the one who pulled the strings. Despite never thanking the Kaichou for that act, Nao promised herself that she would at least pay the favor back when she could.

"… Right. Well, this won't come cheap."

Natsuki grumbled as she stuffed a hand in her pocket. A brown paper envelope was slid across the table and Nao quickly picked it up, tucking it smoothly into her jacket pocket.

"Expect a call in a day or so," she announced before pulling on her woolen cap.

She stood up and walked out of the restaurant, leaving the couple alone with three cups. Natsuki slid out of the booth and sat down where Nao once was in order to be able to look at Shizuru without having to crane her neck. Shizuru looked a little preoccupied but she failed to voice why. At this point the waitress returned but this time with several trays of breakfast food they had ordered prior to Nao's entrance. Immediately Natsuki grabbed a fork and began to poke at the sausage links before chomping down on them. Shizuru settled for a plate of French toast drenched in syrup and some scrambled eggs that she salted lightly before eating. The two ate in relative silence for a good ten minutes or so before Natsuki straightened and sighed.

"God, I hadn't eaten like that in ages," she said with a groan. "All this running around was killing me and those rice cakes tasted awful when they got all mushy and cold from when we jumped in the river."

"Natsuki… you _tumbled_ into the river," Shizuru corrected before eating a piece of French toast. "You tripped over and tumbled in when another blast went off."

Natsuki bristled at that statement.

"It's not like I had a choice," she pointed out with an exaggerated wave of her fork. "It was either that or be a crispy critter. I thought it was a clever thing to do."

"Ara… was it too clever for you to forget how to hold your breath?" Shizuru asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Whu—you've got some nerve," Natsuki exclaimed in a higher pitch than normal. "I pretty much beat the crap out of… well I lost track how many people but a lot, and you're sitting here making fun of me after I got my ass blasted!"

"Well… it turned out alright in the end. Because of that funny little tumble you took, I got to kiss my Natsuki again," Shizuru replied with a wistful sigh before she began to hug herself. "I was beginning to get ill from my lack of Natsuki."

"_Shizuru_!" Natsuki hissed as her cheeks began to glow. "This is why we don't go out to eat."

Shizuru set her fork down and studied Natsuki's indignant frown with a small smile.

"Hm? What's with that smile now, Shizuru?"

"I guess I just found it funny that our first activity upon being in each other's company again was to stop by a Denny's and order half the breakfast menu together before bickering," Shizuru replied with a short laugh.

Natsuki found her amusement infectious and smiled. After paying for breakfast and walking back to the hotel room that was now their base of operations, Natsuki willed herself to forget about the events from the past couple of days if only to take in the relative calm that followed her now. Running away was never a good option but she counted this outcome as a successful one nonetheless. They were together again, and the two of them together was infinitely better than two separated halves. Natsuki felt her hand being nudged accidentally by a gloved hand. Without a second thought her fingers curled around Shizuru's hand and they walked quietly down the snow-laden streets.

"What are we going to do?" Shizuru asked in the stillness. "Sooner or later they will come looking for us."

"There's nothing else we can do but go to the Kuril Islands and get some answers while regrouping," Natsuki replied just as quietly. "Diving back into that mess right now isn't going to help at all."

Shizuru pursed her lips as Natsuki fished in her pockets for their keycard.

"I don't like the idea of running away," she said just as Natsuki flicked the key into the lock.

Natsuki paused for a second before slowly pocketing the card again.

"We're not. But I can't keep trying to stretch myself thin over all of this," Natsuki confessed when they stepped into their room.

Shizuru took in this explanation without a word as she took off her coat and placed it on the coat tree. Natsuki spread her jacket over the back of a chair before pushing the sleeves of her hoodie up to her elbows and taking a seat in the chair. On the table next to her there were several white paper bags adorned with a hand-written label and the green and white sticker of the local pharmacy down the street. A plastic bottle half-filled with a thick red substance sat next to the bags along with a clean plastic spoon. Mechanically she uncapped the bottle and poured out the thick, candy-smelling liquid onto the spoon before offering it to Shizuru. She took it and drank the cough syrup down, managing this time not to gag. Natsuki quickly cleaned up the spoon at the sink in the small kitchenette before pouring a portion to take for herself. She made a strange gulping noise but shook her head and cleaned the spoon before setting the medication back into the bag and sitting down once more. Shizuru walked over to the bed and took the offered mint basket on top of the pillows, placing them at the bedside table before sitting down on the starched sheets. She watched Natsuki struggle with herself for a moment before heaving a sigh.

"I suppose… we're becoming more and more entrenched in something we can't quite handle by ourselves," Shizuru noted softly. "But it's not something we can run away from, not anymore."

"It's unfair," Natsuki replied in a strained tone. "I'm not some huge hero. All I can do is beat the person to the ground until they can't fight back. The only reason why I got involved in the first place was because of that accident. I lost control so badly that it took a year to finally get back on track, only to run into this. I certainly didn't sign up for all this weird exposition back to a past I don't even want to remember anymore."

She rubbed her forehead with an agitated sigh.

"Sometimes I don't even know if I want to go on like this. You saw them fighting like that, knocking each other around and laughing like it was just a silly game. And they enjoy it. Hell, Duran even enjoys it. The part that scares me even more is that… I'm beginning to enjoy it too. I always told myself that I would never go over that line. Taking pleasure in someone else's pain was not to be tolerated. But when I saw those two go at it, I knew Duran wanted in. I did, too."

Shizuru stood and slowly made her way towards Natsuki. Without hesitating she stopped in front of Natsuki and drew her close. Natsuki wrapped her arms around Shizuru's waist and rested her forehead against the older girl's stomach while Shizuru began to rub soothing lines on Natsuki's forehead with her thumb.

"It's almost as if I'm losing everything other than a desire to fight," Natsuki continued with a slightly muffled voice. "Fight, beat the opponent to the ground, and win. If I'm reduced to that, then there won't be anything to go back to once that fight's done and there's nothing left to do."

"I'll wait for you, Natsuki."

Natsuki loosened the hold and looked up at Shizuru. The two exchanged similarly unreadable looks before Shizuru offered a smile. Somehow, seeing this small reassurance caused Natsuki's worries to fade a little and she mirrored the smile as she slowly stood.

"And I'd find my way back to you, no matter what."

She rested her forehead against Shizuru's. They leaned in at roughly the same time. The kiss was a mere peck that was followed by another before they withdrew. Natsuki gave a sheepish grin.

"I'm sorry, Shizuru. I was being a bit of a whiner just then. I'm better now."

"Everyone has to unload sometime," Shizuru reminded gently before placing a kiss on her nose.

Natsuki blinked at the sudden contact and scrunched her nose in response, causing an amused smile to lift the corners of Shizuru's lips. They weren't quite sure on how they managed to get from the table to the bed but the sheets crinkled and the mattress gave way a bit to welcome the two. Natsuki was the first to sit up, and she twisted so that her hands were on either side of Shizuru's head. They stared at each other as Natsuki tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Yuuki-han has left us a window of a day," Shizuru said in a pitch lower than usual.

The sound caused a shiver to go down Natsuki's spine especially when she saw the dark crimson eyes stare up at her.

"How are we going to spend it?"

Natsuki appeared to look contemplative for a moment.

"Oh, I'm sure there's a good tour or something going on," she replied with a cheeky grin.

She lowered herself so that they were merely inches away from each other.

"But I'm sure I'd enjoy spending the day in bed a lot more."

"Ara, that can lead to a rather sedentary lifestyle, sleeping in all day," Shizuru replied.

Now Natsuki frowned as Shizuru attempted to keep a straight face at her expression. She closed her eyes and let out a mighty snort of annoyance that prompted some giggles to erupt from the girl beneath her.

"Hn. I didn't say anything about sleeping, did I?"

The melodious, uninhibited laugh that entered her ears caused her to smile as she lowered herself down for another kiss.

* * *

The noise of a cell phone vibrating on the table caused both of them to wake up at roughly the same time. Natsuki was the first to show any visible sign of waking as she groaned and attempted to swat her hand towards the phone. Her half-hearted attempts caused her to groan in annoyance that stopped when Shizuru reached over her with a sleepy glare in her eyes. She successfully grabbed the phone on her first try. She dropped it down in front of Natsuki and snuggled back in between Natsuki's warm body and the covers, seemingly having forgotten about the phone's incessant vibrating now that the sheets muffled the noise a good deal. Natsuki gave Shizuru an amused look before she turned back to the cell phone that was still ringing.

"… Kuga here."

"_Good evening lovebirds._" The voice turned from sickly sweetness to downright impatience when Natsuki let out a tired groan. "_Hey, you're the one who wanted to get out ASAP. I got your papers ready at lunchtime so be thankful I decided to call later. Now get your asses out of bed and be ready at the docks in three hours._"

Natsuki blinked at Nao's statement before she repeated it to herself.

"How the hell did you—"

There was an extremely annoyed sigh that sounded off in her ear.

"_For goodness' sakes, Kuga. The two of you hadn't known each other in the biblical sense in like a year. What the hell else were you going to do all day, go to a museum and eat roasted sweet potatoes together? I swear, if Fujino doesn't kill you by now in frustration I definitely would be happy to._"

"Alright Yuuki, that's enough," Natsuki grumbled as she craned her head over to look at the clock. She studied the numbers for a moment before sighing. "… We'll be there soon."

"_Good. And try to keep your hands off each other when you get here. There's someone who wants to meet you. Don't worry, there's no danger here._"

Natsuki opened her mouth to speak again but encountered the dial tone of her cell phone as Nao hung up on the other end. She frowned and clapped the phone shut before shifting her gaze down towards Shizuru. She wanted to sleep for a few more minutes. Heck, make that several hours or even days. It was all just a good bit of wishful thinking, though. They had work to do.

In two and a half hours the bus dropped the couple down at a stop two blocks away from the entrance to the docks. Sandwich wrappers were tossed into a trash bin and Natsuki clapped her hands to rid them of crumbs before accepting the warm bottle of hot tea Shizuru passed her way. They walked down the distance and spotted two figures hanging around the entrance by the ticket office. Nao flagged them down with a sharp wave before she snuck her hand back into her pocket. Shizuru stopped short as she registered the familiar maple-red eyes of Shigeru as he stood in his impeccable three-piece suit and heavy woolen coat. He wore a charcoal gray traditional driving cap on top of his neatly-trimmed hair and a cashmere scarf was neatly tucked around his neck and into the coat. He gave a small wave in response to her surprised look before she shook herself out of it and ran towards her father. The two grabbed onto each other in a fierce hug as Natsuki sidled up next to Nao, sharing a companionable silence for a few seconds before Nao nudged her attention over towards the ticket booth.

Shigeru rested his cheek on his daughter's hair, taking in the scent of hotel shampoo and feeling the warm radiating from underneath. After a moment they parted but he kept his hands around her arms as he stared her up and down.

"You look well, Shizuru," he said with an approving smile.

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak just yet. He rubbed her cheeks with gentle thumbs and caught a stray tear before it could stream down her face.

"Don't worry, it'd take more than a bullet to do me in. I'll admit it took me some time before I got kicked out of bed by Jinpei," Shigeru continued with an uneasy laugh.

"Otou-han…"

She bit her lip, wondering just how much she should divulge in what had happened in the tea house. He read her uncertainty and raised an eyebrow but failed to comment on it as he absently began to rub her upper arms with his hands to generate warmth.

"I heard about Tokiha-han and her unfortunate run-in with a spirit when I was recovering," Shigeru said in a low voice. "I'm going to guess that was the reason behind the house burning down. I'll admit that another one of my reasons here was to investigate it, so here I am."

There was something missing in his explanation and Shizuru looked up expectantly. He shifted under her gaze for a moment before he finally sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with gloved fingers.

"Here is my first reason. I am here to tell you something very important that I discovered through Yukino-chan's help when I was recovering in the Suzushiro mansion. Whether you want to tell Kuga-han or not is up to you, but the information will help both of you understand to some point why this chain of events started with the accident and not some unrelated event."

He leaned forward slightly so that they were now at the same eye-level. His warmer eyes took in her sharper ones as they stared at each other.

"That accident a year ago was a planned act to try and trip Kuga-han's connection to her spirit, to make them both go haywire. No doubt the individual you are seeking out overseas will tell you something similar, but know this. Kyoko and Tomoe did _not_ initiate it. While they most definitely took advantage of the accident, ran up a spectacular list of increasingly dangerous stunts, and are now involved in the current crisis, they did not instigate the accident."

Shizuru digested this information with no outward sign of distress or confusion upon hearing the news. Shigeru straightened and shrugged his shoulders slightly to restore a bit of circulation to them.

"It's true that our family has been involved in this strange set of events a little more than we should have been, and that is our mistake to shoulder when the final bets follow through. But I want you to know that despite all of this, our involvement with Kuga-han's situation was limited at best. Please don't continue on this path with any of the guilt I should be shouldering, Shizuru."

She nodded slightly and Shigeru drew her in for another hug, resting his chin on top of her head.

"I'm sorry that this has gone on longer than it should have. You deserve more than what these hands can give you."

She shook her head and released herself from the nearly suffocating hold. She took in his tired eyes and noted for the first time just how tired her father looked.

"You did everything to the best of your abilities. I know that you were forced into a position that you did not want to be in, but you did the best you could despite that." She offered him a familiar smile that reminded him instantly of her mother. "I'll be fine, Otou-han."

He nodded sharply and patted Shizuru's shoulders as if to get a good physical memory down before he let her go.

"Ah, I know."

He craned his head over to the neatly-wrapped package next to Natsuki that was being fitted with a customs sticker. He recognized what it was immediately and looked down at Shizuru with a question etched in his eyes. She met his gaze with a calm look of her own.

"I'm not afraid to fight for my most important person," she said softly yet clearly. "I might not have the aid of a mysterious spirit like Natsuki does with her Duran, but I can still protect her. As long as I keep that in mind, I absolutely will not fail."

Shigeru closed his eyes for a moment and tucked his hands into his coat pockets. He opened his eyes to the gray skies, watching as his wife's naginata was carefully picked up by Natsuki along with a suitcase—another bag was already slung across her shoulders. The smell of salt and the sight of murky waters lapping up to the docks hit his senses as he turned to face the dingy boat that would take his daughter out of Japan and away from him. For a moment he frowned, wondering if this was really something they should undertake. He banished the doubt almost immediately. There was no other choice, something had to be done about the beasts that were undoubtedly subdued, not defeated. He flicked his gaze back towards Natsuki who now waited with the luggage in tow. She seemed to take in Nao's squabbling with a strange patience born from being content merely with watching Shizuru from a distance, further inviting more chatter from the red-haired girl. A sharp wind kicked through from the sea, tickling his bare ears and the spaces of his neck not covered over his scarf. Out the corner of his eye he could see flaxen hair flowing to the side as Shizuru joined him in his silent vigil over the ocean.

Additional words could have been spoken and they were easily thought about in Shigeru's mind as he stared out towards the choppy waters northward. They were an eloquent family after all—words were not difficult to come by in the least and they were groomed for their careful lectures over just about everything. Yet, this silence they shared together was more meaningful than any long speech Shigeru could have offered in the guise of advice. Shigeru clenched his jaw and resolutely stared ahead. A foghorn blared through the stillness, signaling the eventual departure. Shigeru fixed his eyes onto the sea and made a small hum through his throat before he paused.

"Be careful."

She nodded.

"We will."

Shigeru hummed another note, this time with a smile on his lips as he saw Natsuki lock her gaze onto him. His hum grew slightly louder and Natsuki nodded to indicate that she was now listening. He adjusted his cap with his thumb and forefinger—a casual salute.

"Come home together, both of you. No matter what."

* * *

AN: Something short and sweet. Mai and Kagutsuchi are not one and the same, so while it is Mai's facial expressions and physical responses that are observed, it really isn't her mind that is making the executive decision. When control is established, the line between medium and spirit begins to blur like in Kyoko's case. Just something to keep in mind.

And yes, the Marguerites did _not_ instigate the accident despite profiting from it immensely. I think that was pointed out in an earlier chapter, I don't remember. But if there were any doubts, here is the straight answer.


	17. A Promise

Hello, Author here. Thanks for your continued patience and reviews.

So... I'm trying out Ubuntu for the first time after a rather shady experience with it earlier last year, and so far it looks nice but I'm getting used to the different formatting. For some reason everything looks a little... funny. I apologize ahead of time if this chapter ends up looking funky.

Enjoy!

Mai-hime and related belong to Sunrise

* * *

**A Promise**

They felt like a pair of war-ravaged rebels about to undertake some sort of secret mission for the good of everyone involved, but in reality Natsuki and Shizuru were very well aware of their potential check in the agonizing deadlock of a chess game they were in. They were, in essence, simply running away from the aggravated conflict, and the small fishing boat was now carrying them through international waters and towards contested territory to the north. Whether these islands were under Russian jurisdiction on paper or claimed to be owned by the Japanese historically was not a problem that warranted further explorations by either of the two. The language barrier was easily shattered. Shizuru spoke Russian fluently enough to pass as a local and Natsuki had listened to enough of it to comprehend it and get herself out of sticky situations. They managed to bribe a passing fishing boat and transferred their luggage over as the boat slowly took them up to Iturup Island, the largest of the southernmost Kuril Islands. Even more bribe money was successfully used along with some bartering and soon they were out of the port and on an old bus from that took them down winding roads and towards several small towns along the way. The trip was exhausting but the two managed to stay awake long enough for the last stop in a sleepy little hamlet near the sea. They departed the bus and rearranged their luggage before starting their hike up the winding paths that led up to the village in question.

After a good hour or so of hiking, Shizuru dug into her pocket to extract a small map and a small plastic box, handing the box to Natsuki. Natsuki eagerly popped the box open. In the box were several rice balls tightly crammed into neat rows. A small divider held a tiny plastic squeeze bottle with a red cap that Natsuki picked up first. She took out a sticky rice ball that she immediately chomped into before popping open the bottle and squeezing out a fair quantity of mayonnaise into the rice ball's filling. After she finished her first helping, she waved the box towards Shizuru who had already pulled off one of her gloves. Shizuru took another rice ball and ate it in a more controlled manner as to not leave stray bits of rice on the map she was viewing. Natsuki shuffled through the numerous pockets of her jacket before extracting a miniature flashlight. She twisted the end and a concentrated beam of light shone over Shizuru's shoulder and onto the map. After a moment of trying to parse through a map that seemed to have been drawn a good two decades ago, Shizuru finally rolled the map back into her pocket and signaled over to Natsuki to resume their trip while taking the box from her hands and closing it once more. Natsuki licked her fingers free of rice and turned off the flashlight before grabbing onto the luggage at her feet. Shizuru adjusted the strap around her wrapped naginata after putting her glove back on. The two began to walk through the cold stillness of night with only the soft starlight above them to keep them company.

The village was noticeably dark but they knew that there was really no reason for anyone to be awake at this late hour, especially in this cold. Still, there was one light still on in the house furthest down in the village and they walked towards it like moths to an inviting flame. Shizuru nodded as she read the map once more and Natsuki paused in front of the heavy wooden door, knocking three times before waiting. The door opened suddenly to reveal one inquisitive red eye before it narrowed and the door closed. They frowned in unison but this faded as the door opened a little wider this time to reveal an impassive face framed with severely straight locks of light blue hair. This young woman eyed Shizuru and Natsuki before giving a resolute nod and stepping aside to let the two in. Warmth washed over them from a cheerfully roaring fire in the sitting room and they stomped the snow off their feet before taking off their shoes and setting them by the door.

"I will take your coats," the woman said tonelessly as they set down their luggage.

Natsuki nodded and began to unzip her ski jacket before handing it over.

"Thank you, Miyu."

The woman nodded stiffly and waited until Shizuru handed over her coat as well before she walked over to a coat closet. When she opened it Shizuru could see a row of small coats fit for a child neatly arranged by color. Below them were several pairs of snow boots that were also arranged in a similar manner. Miyu hung their outerwear and closed the closet with a question about beverages that Natsuki absently nodded her agreement on. Natsuki rubbed her bare hands together and fought down a sniffle as she looked around.

"Is she still awake?" Natsuki asked.

Miyu gave a solemn nod as she returned with a tray of cups. The two were led down to the sitting room and Miyu set the cups down in front of them when they sat down on a comfortable couch that faced the blazing fireplace.

"She retired after dinner for a nap but should be awake soon," Miyu replied.

Natsuki nodded and Miyu left the two alone with cups of red tea. Natsuki handed one of the tea cups to Shizuru before picking up the other cup for herself. The tea was a little bitter but she drank it down in light of nothing better to do. Beside her Shizuru sipped on the tea slowly before settling the cup in her hands. The television set was on what looked to be the news in Russian. Natsuki stared at the anchor chattering away before the foreign language began to lose its novelty to her ears and she returned to her cup of tea.

"Anything interesting?" she asked.

Shizuru rested her arm on the arm rest and stared attentively at the screen.

"There is something involving a dip in economy," Shizuru noted after a moment. "But nothing terribly interesting, I'm afraid."

They watched the program for a few more minutes before they heard the shuffling of feet against the heavy carpet that led to the middle of the room. Miyu had returned, this time with a child standing next to her. The child was a very attractive individual even with her young age, with crystalline blue eyes and blonde hair that was fashioned in an unusual manner through the use of a black hair ribbon. Two sections of her hair appeared to create the illusion of horns jutting from her head, giving her the appearance of a rather young looking ram whose horns had yet to curl into themselves. The girl held onto Miyu's hand and remained quiet as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, but when she registered Natsuki she let out a short cry of happiness and ran towards the dark-haired girl with her arms outstretched. Natsuki set the cup down in time to be tackled by this child who in turn pulled Shizuru in to share this hug. After the girl withdrew, however, she also aimed a punch towards Natsuki's shoulder, causing her to give a surprised yell as the tiny fist rammed straight into the bone.

"Hey! What was that for?!"

"Idiot!" the girl snapped. "You haven't visited at all!"

Natsuki huffed and crossed her arms as she regarded the glaring girl seated on her lap.

"I did too," Natsuki argued.

"Miyu, when was the last time Natsuki visited?" the girl asked, turning towards the only standing occupant of the room.

"One year, six months, four days, and sixteen hours ago, ma'am," Miyu replied before taking up the tray and returning to the kitchen.

Natsuki uneasily rubbed the back of her neck as furious blue eyes locked onto her own.

"Honestly, Natsuki," the girl huffed. "You're unbelievable."

The girl turned towards Shizuru and offered a gracious smile that was returned with a kind smile from Shizuru.

"It's nice to see you again, Shizuru onee-san," the girl chirped as her legs swung back and forth from her perch.

"It's been quite a long time, Alyssa-chan. You look well," Shizuru replied.

The two shared nearly identical saccharine smiles as Natsuki looked on with a frown.

"Now I feel left out. I don't get that sort of nice welcome from you?" Natsuki inquired as she jabbed Alyssa's side with a finger.

"Hey!" Alyssa snapped before smacking Natsuki's arm once more. "Be glad Miyu hasn't been ordered to chase you around the house!"

"Tch. Like you would do that, you little brat," Natsuki replied with a snort.

Alyssa growled, drawing the attention of Miyu from the kitchen.

"Ma'am?" Miyu's eyes narrowed a fraction. "Is Kuga-san _bothering_ you?"

The way she said "bother" was akin to one inquiring as to whether or not a particular pest needed to be exterminated. Natsuki felt herself freeze at the tone and she looked down at the grinning girl on her lap. Shizuru hid her amusement behind the cup of tea she was sipping from, leaving Natsuki alone in what would undoubtedly have been a poor attempt to defend herself had Alyssa not merely shook her head in response to Miyu's question. Miyu nodded and returned to the kitchen, leaving Natsuki to heave a faint sigh of relief before straightening and giving Alyssa a stern look that the younger girl returned with the same intensity. Shizuru set her cup down and threw the two an amused glance before Natsuki shook her head to break the staring contest. Now her expression grew serious and Alyssa raised an eyebrow before frowning.

"I'm guessing this wasn't a vacation sort of visit after all," Alyssa said softly.

Natsuki nodded and Alyssa slid off her lap in order to take a place in between the two. Immediately she leaned against Shizuru who placed an arm around her slim shoulders. Natsuki watched the two with an unreadable expression before she leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees in her contemplative manner. With a frown she stood up and retrieved the steel poker from next to the fireplace, moving aside a few of the blackened tinder to drop in thick log from a neatly-stacked pile. The fire eagerly began to eat away at the log and Natsuki returned to her seat.

"We ran into a rather familiar man by the name of John Smith," Natsuki said in a low voice.

Shizuru could feel the child stiffen beside her for a second. Despite trying to remain normal Alyssa could not hide the brief flash of surprise that flitted past her eyes before she ran her fingers against the soft fabric of Shizuru's turtleneck sweater. Natsuki rested her chin on her palm before turning her neck slightly to fix her gaze on Alyssa.

"You're still safe to my knowledge," Natsuki continued with a reassuring smile that soon melted as she continued. "But apparently he's managed to tamper with a friend of mine and now she's a medium for a homicidal maniac of a creature."

Alyssa paused to take in the information as her fingers absently rubbed against Shizuru's open palm, tracing out wistful patterns that Shizuru nevertheless paid attention to.

"You're going to ask me if I know anything about it," Alyssa said slowly.

Natsuki gave a wordless shrug.

"If you don't know anything we aren't going to press you for it. It sounds a little backwards, I would rather you be already involved than to get yourself in the line of fire because I asked you to do research."

Alyssa nodded and sighed, craning her head over towards the direction of the kitchen.

"Miyu, may I have the papers on my desk please?" she called out.

Miyu arrived at the sitting room with the requested item in tow. A thick stack of papers was set onto the table beside empty cups of tea that were then refilled. Shizuru took the packet of papers and handed them to Alyssa who quietly rifled through them before settling on several papers in the middle. These she gently pulled out and set the rest on her lap as she flicked through the selected papers now in her hands.

"There has been some activity between Searrs and your First District over the past couple of years," Alyssa announced before straightening the pile in her hands. Her eyes focused on Natsuki even as her fingers gently tapped a pattern on the papers. "For the most part it's just been a bureaucratic contest of who can push more buttons than the other, but recently there's been some talk about First District starting up their laboratories again. They have been looking into reinstating the laboratory in Hokkaido by using leftover funds that the Fujino estate poured in."

"It doesn't surprise me," Shizuru replied, drawing both of their attention. "If you think about it... There has been an awful surge in incidents involving mediums. For the first time there are others who actively call upon their powers."

"Do you think First District was waiting for an opportunity like this?" Natsuki asked.

"Perhaps," Alyssa replied in a low voice. "I can't say for certain. All I know is, John Smith is a turncoat. He once worked for Searrs before the organization fired him. First District immediately picked him up and he has been rather influential to their cause ever since."

Natsuki snorted and returned to watching the fire.

"First District is a lunatic company," she muttered with a mutinous glare towards the flames. "All they ever cared about was controlling a bunch of lab rats to do whatever they wanted."

"I doubt that Searrs is any different despite their antagonism with First District," Natsuki continued more to herself. She sighed and watched as Alyssa carefully placed the papers back in order. "Everyone wants to be on top, no matter what it takes."

"I just wonder what is driving First District now, of all times," Shizuru added in a troubled tone. "I feel more bothered than I should be."

Alyssa set the papers on the table next to the cups and leaned against Shizuru once more.

"... Tell me about your friend," Alyssa prompted, turning her inquisitive eyes towards the brooding girl.

Natsuki leaned back against the couch and crossed her arms across her stomach in a loose manner. A sort of smile managed to wedge its way onto her lips as she stared at the flames with a bit of a fonder glint in her eyes that almost melted the cold exterior.

"Well, there's a lot I can say about Tokiha Mai, but I'll keep it short. We weren't the best of friends at first but we soon grew to like each other enough. I guess being roommates kinda pushed that along. She's a great cook and loves to try out new recipes. Life's dealt her a pretty hard hand—her mother died when she was young and her father abandoned her and her brother. Her brother has a heart condition and is on a transplant list in America at this time, so she sends a good portion of her paycheck over there every month to help pay for his operation. Despite all this she's remained pretty upbeat. She used to date a pretty clueless guy named Tate Yuichi, but the two broke apart, I'm not sure why. She also has this pint-sized terror by the name of Minagi Mikoto chasing her around and using her chest as a pillow, but she's a good kid."

She turned her face slightly.

"Kanzaki used to have a thing for her, did you know that Shizuru?"

"Ara, I guessed as much. Reito-han seems to hide his feelings well but he paid much more attention to Mai-han than towards his other admirers."

Natsuki nodded to herself.

"I'm not sure where that went, but apparently he's still stuck in a denial phase where he believes that he was the one who ruined his own relationship with both of them. If you ask me I think it's a load of bull. But I'm going completely off topic." She paused to recollect herself. "The spirit known as Kagutsuchi contracted with her. He's kinda crazy, not something I would want to deal with at all. Now, I'm not sure what's going on, but apparently Shizuru's cousin was supposed to be the medium for Kagutsuchi, not Mai."

"Cousin?" Alyssa echoed with a raised eyebrow.

Shizuru nodded. "Her name is Kazahana Mashiro."

When the name was mentioned Alyssa's features instantly darkened. Natsuki took in the change with a questioning glance.

"Alyssa?"

"... I know the name. It's rather familiar." Alyssa sighed. "She has another name, right? A title, if you will."

"Her family is rather famous for it," Shizuru noted. "There are those who refer to the females of the Kazahana family as 'Queens of Hell.'"

Alyssa nodded.

"Kazahana Mashiro was a name connected to the First District documents that I managed to dig up several months ago. There was a mention of company funds being used to finance surgery for an accident she suffered. I believe there may be something more pertinent to First District's motive for that charitable donation."

"Nagi mentioned that they were blackmailing the family," Natsuki added as she remembered the boy's words. "They forced his hand by withholding funds for Mashiro's recovery, so he was sent to try and force Kagutsuchi and Mai out of hiding."

"However, Mashiro-chan told me that she was the intended medium of Kagutsuchi, and Mai-han was supposed to be the medium for the spirit Izanami," Shizuru concluded.

Alyssa digested this information for a few minutes, tucking in her chin and frowning as she began to fill in the spaces between the separate points she was given. When she withdrew from her thoughts and returned to the world, her eyes held a distinctly troubled look to them.

"Ara, ara... It's bad, isn't it?" Shizuru asked as she studied the expression.

"It's bad," Alyssa agreed with a nod.

"... Like 'it's bad but it can work itself out and we shouldn't worry' bad, or 'holy crap the world is going to end if we don't fix it' bad?" Natsuki asked with a wave of her hand to accentuate the two options.

Alyssa massaged the bridge of her nose.

"... I'd say the latter, at this point."

"It figures," Natsuki said with a sigh. "It's not like people are given powers to live out peaceful lives."

"Well, that's some wishful thinking," Alyssa replied critically. "I hope you didn't put too much stock in that."

"I can dream," Natsuki retorted in a defiant grumble.

"In any case, this is a very unlucky turn of events for us," Alyssa continued with a sigh of her own. "But it goes in line with what Miyu and I have managed to dig up on First District."

Miyu at this point returned to the sitting room and took a sentinel position next to the couch.

"Miyu, tell them what we found," Alyssa ordered.

Miyu appeared to be reading something that only she could see, but those assembled knew that she was merely dredging through mental files to pick up an itinerary she had recorded previously. After a few seconds she looked down towards Natsuki and began her report.

"October 23rd, 1530 hours, we discovered a set of encrypted documents from the discontinued First District Laboratory in Asahikawa, Hokkaido. Decryption of the documents took fourteen hours, twenty-three minutes, fifty-eight seconds. Upon decryption a list of names and numbers was discovered along with a set of coordinates. Names included one Tokiha Mai and one Kuga Natsuki. Numbers appear to indicate subject labeling for further references within the documents. The documents themselves indicate little of the purpose behind this list and were filled with many blanks denoting a lack of specific knowledge in the intended subject. The given coordinates were computed into a GPS monitor but results have been inconclusive. It is hypothesized that the coordinates may have been used in the past rather than the present to facilitate the sending of said documents to the appropriate benefactor. Also included was a routing number for an account that is now frozen due to inactivity."

Natsuki frowned.

"How long ago was this set of documents published?"

"No date has been recovered but records indicate that the packet was published roughly twelve years ago. 98-percent confirmation that the date is prior to ten years ago," Miyu replied.

"Who authored this publication?"

"Dr. Saeko Kuga."

Natsuki felt her heart stop for one cold second, causing a sharp wave of pain to sting her chest. Then her heart remembered to beat, only this time it gave the added effect of pins tumbling down to her stomach. These pins built a pile that caused her stomach to grow cold and her mouth to go dry despite knowing that there was a chance, there was always a chance that she was more involved than she would have hoped.

She had prepared herself for this. She had prepared for years, beaten the possibility into her head to avoid being shocked. She was not disillusioned over her mother's employment with First District—unfortunately, everyone who worked there was in some point involved with the outcome of her current struggles. This was a bitter realization but she had held on to the one saving grace that her mother had broken free of First District due to an ethical challenge. The conditions of the subjects were horrendous and her mother definitely had to have picked up on it during her studies. Her mother was trying to save her from a thankless existence as a permanent lab rat in the facility. Every year up to the accident she had taken her trek up the winding roads of Fuuka in order to lay flowers down on the spot her mother had died in an attempt at freedom. First District was the blame. Her mother was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Wishful thinking.

"... Repeat the name."

Miyu blinked, the only sign that she wasn't droning along on auto-pilot.

"Kuga Saeko, graduate of Tokyo University's biology department with a PhD in Neuropharmacology. Employee of First District's Hokkaido-based laboratory, current status deceased."

"Miyu, that's enough," Alyssa said in a distracted tone.

Miyu nodded.

"Yes, ma'am."

Natsuki's shoulders were especially rigid as she sat there, hunched over herself.

"Tell me about the routing number," she ordered.

"Natsuki, I don't think—"

"Now, Miyu," Natsuki snapped, effectively hushing the girl.

Alyssa nodded faintly, giving Miyu permission despite her misgivings.

"The routing number was for an account held in Kuga Saeko's name under the pseudonym 'Kruger.' There is no evidence but speculation has led us to believe that there is a 95-percent probability that the list was exchanged for a predetermined sum of money. The benefactor has not been identified as of yet. There is reason to believe that Dr. Kuga was in fact selling the list to a rival corporation."

"Miyu that's enough," Alyssa ordered in a firm voice. She turned towards Natsuki. "This doesn't change anything about what is happening here and now, Natsuki. Regardless of what happened in the past, the current situation would have been encountered eventually. There is no escaping it."

Natsuki shook her head and stood up in one stiff movement. With pursed lips and a swift stride she walked past the living room, brushed past Miyu and walked out the door. Alyssa hurriedly made to hop off of the couch and race after her when Shizuru suddenly pulled her back.

"Give her a few minutes by herself," Shizuru said in a low murmur.

Alyssa threw Shizuru an uncertain glance but those crimson eyes held firm in her conviction. Soon Alyssa sighed and leaned against the couch.

"... She hates me, doesn't she?" Alyssa wondered aloud.

"Why do you say that?" Shizuru asked curiously.

"Natsuki hates me. She always has, ever since she found out about me." Alyssa drew in a shaky breath to steady herself. "Of course, it's not like you completely accept something like that, especially when you wake up in the morning to the fact that you have a little sister who was artificially created out of your mother's DNA and the DNA of some megalomaniac in Searrs. I'm that strange, shapeless little part of the past that she can't help but distrust. I don't blame her, really."

Shizuru took this explanation with a frown.

"Natsuki may do some rash things from time to time, but she's never actively hated someone due to that person simply existing," she said.

Shizuru then stood before walking back to the coat closet. She flicked through the hangers and extracted the heavy, large ski jacket before pulling it on. Alyssa and Miyu walked down the hall to the entryway and squinted as Shizuru pulled the heavy door open. A fresh blast of clean, cold air buffeted through her hair before she turned to face the two.

"Well, I'll be back," Shizuru said with a smile before she stepped out into the howling wind.

The door closed and swallowed the two residents into a cloak of darkness.

"... I wonder, sometimes, just how much of life that woman takes so lightly," Alyssa wondered with a soft frown.

"Her words are sincere no matter how relaxed she may seem," Miyu replied in her analytical tone. She paused, then, and cocked her head to the side in a thoughtful pose. "There is a certain degree of reassurance that tends to outweigh the initial doubt, I would think."

Miyu turned and placed a protective hand on Alyssa's head. Miyu smiled in reassurance. She knew the doubts still lingered.

"Despite not possessing a finer degree of expression, Kuga-san is too honest to hide hate."

Alyssa pursed her lips and said nothing before she turned to go to her room.

* * *

Her hands were shaking in this stubborn cold but she didn't feel particularly bothered by it. She clenched her fists and let out a long, steady breath of air that trailed out into wisps of white steam. The scenery was breathtaking despite the relative poverty of the town below the house behind her. Since the house had been built on a hill that overlooked the rest of the town and good bit of wilderness it made a very pretty picture that Natsuki felt she could capture if she flicked her fingers out to make a box using her thumb and forefingers. She did that for a moment and squinted as she made out the rickety bus stop she had arrived in earlier during the evening. It was pitch dark outside save for the starlight that had guided them earlier. There was nothing of note to capture in her imaginary camera and she let her hands drop to her sides.

Briefly she wondered about Alyssa and what might have been her reaction to this unsettling news. When she first met the girl several years ago with her tag-along Miyu there was no doubt she had run into something she would not like. This sentiment was an honest one for the most part—especially when she discovered that Alyssa was in fact an artificially created individual using DNA from her mother of all people. Maybe that should have clued her in to Dr. Kuga's turncoat activities but even Alyssa appeared troubled at this piece of news. Maybe that was some slice of belated humanity displaying itself in the face of an otherwise far-from-innocent child. Sometimes Natsuki wondered just how long she could have lived her life peacefully had she not delved further into her past, but it was wishful thinking like Alyssa had pointed out. She knew too much to wish for a peaceful existence now.

Natsuki knew plenty of facts about herself in comparison to the rest of the world. She knew that her body would only feel the chill like a normal person would if the temperature dropped to five degrees below zero degrees Celsius, but if she was immersed in water her tolerance was about equal. She could go for approximately six miles in a relatively steady run before her limbs would shake from the effort. A jump down four stories was a good leap that would produce only mild shock to her legs, and she could swim one hundred meters at top speed in under a minute if the water was calm. By all means she was a wild success in the eyes of First District in their lofty goal of producing a super-human individual. While they would have wanted to do away with the presence in her mind that occasionally took control of her body, it was in all a pretty good success in light of their other failures in attempting to control an ethereal existence.

Kuga Saeko was a major proponent of the study and even provided the blueprints for what she assumed would have been subsequent experiments had she not left First District. She devoted countless hours and worked until she fell asleep in her lab chair with the computers still shining their white light around her. Dr. Kuga seemingly awoke from these power naps with another shot of ambition flashing in her forest green eyes that rivaled only the affection she held for her only child who hung around the lab with wide eyes and a rather large dog tagging along.

Life was so innocent, then. There were no questions about the haggard people marching to and fro with the white pills in their hands and the dead look in their eyes. Dr. Kuga would lecture her child on the importance of their mission. They were to make sick people feel better, and the research they conducted was of the utmost importance in realizing this ambition. Natsuki would sit on her mother's lap and listen to this lecture until she nodded herself to sleep over it. Those motherly hands would stroke her cheeks and patiently draw up short locks of hair into pigtails, securing them with various hair ties depending on the day. Dr. Kuga was known as Mother, and those eyes held nothing but a kind patience and a certain wistfulness towards her childhood antics in a place no one should have grown up in.

Natsuki remembered the sudden seriousness that entered her mother's eyes and dictated her future movements when the girl first came into contact with the bitter cold of Duran. She could never remember the first couple of times she had transformed, but she could always remember the tired expression on Dr. Kuga's face and the tiny cuts on her hands and arms that made her flinch as she held Natsuki. Despite this disturbing change and the sudden detachedness, Natsuki had been reassured that there was nothing wrong with her. She was given a small packet filled with white pills, the same as those haggard individuals who marched to and fro, from the laboratory to their living quarters in some thankless form of existence. At first she had been afraid she would be forced to don those hospital gowns and walk in a lethargic shuffle for the rest of her life. Eyes forward, never blinking. Instead, she had been given a strange sort of pep talk that even in her young age she found a little incredulous to believe at first. This was no disease in her body, therefore there was no outstanding cure that could be administered. But there was no worry. She was blessed with something rare, she had been told. She was given a mysterious, limitless power and it was up to her how she would use it. No matter what, her mother would remind her, no matter what, she would be protected. That was why they left First District, and that was why her mother died. The reasoning was sufficient whenever it failed to be reassuring.

_I will do everything in my power, Natsuki, to protect you._

Not anymore.

It was laughable now as she recalled the strange lectures she had received as a child. There was nothing wildly important over her emergence. She was a number on a list of similar numbers, sold and bought for a set sum of cash that had probably never been touched. She was a set of statistics and test results printed out on dusty sheets of computer paper with a set of holes punched in. She was a page in a record book that wasn't even kept in date anymore. There was nothing special after all, save for a strange power and a strange need from others to obtain this power. Mother was now Doctor, and salvation was now just a fancy word for being dumped into servitude under another master.

She clenched her jaw but to her surprise the tears failed to come despite the stinging sensation behind her eyes. Maybe it was the proximity of Shizuru but Duran failed to do anything rash which also surprised her. She breathed out once more and this time no cloud of steam accentuated her breath. Her eyes looked up and picked out the light glow of the moon peeking through hazy clouds. The gentle light seemed to calm her and she continued to stare up towards the sky even as she sensed someone else moving up beside her. Her gaze flicked to the side for a brief second and she caught the familiar sight of her own ski jacket.

"... That's my jacket."

Shizuru shrugged.

"So it is."

"Why do you have it on?"

"I guess I wasn't looking hard enough when I picked it out of the coat closet."

Natsuki shoved her hands in her pockets and stared up at the sky once more.

"That's a lie."

"If you say so."

Shizuru closed her eyes and sighed.

"This won't do. Alyssa-chan is suffering as much as you are."

Natsuki breathed out heavily through her nose, causing another puff of steam to blow from her nostrils this time.

"Do you remember that night, when you said the world is beautiful?" she asked suddenly.

Shizuru nodded despite knowing Natsuki could not see her.

"Of course. How could I forget?" Shizuru let her lips ease into a smile as she tucked her hands in the jacket pockets. "It was so cold that day."

"You thought so?" Natsuki asked, not really paying complete attention.

"Mhmm. For some reason it was a cold day, colder than it has been lately, even. I never quite understood why until I came home and saw you in bed, under the covers and staring at the wall."

The words wafted out towards Natsuki's ears and she closed her eyes. Maybe if she wished for it hard enough, when she opened her eyes everything would be as they were before. The illusion didn't work so well when there was a constant wind pummeling them, making their faces red and raw from the contact. Natsuki merely settled for squinting as she forced her eyes open. Shizuru tucked several wayward locks of her hair behind her ear and held her hand there for a moment until the particularly strong breeze died down.

"I apologize, my Natsuki."

"What for?" Natsuki asked softly.

"Perhaps I can only atone for the sins of my blood by apologizing," Shizuru replied in a hollow tone. "After all, it's only fair. Anything that happened to you was most likely due to a byproduct of something in the past that my family had sponsored in some attempt to remain, as you say, normal."

"Resurrecting harsh memories from ashes, huh."

Natsuki hooked her thumbs around the belt loops of her pants.

"That's not necessary. Whatever happened, happened, right? I mean, knowing this information doesn't change the fact that we're being chased by crazy people and a homicidal spirit. It only brings us closer to our goal, and that is to find out the cause of all this. From there we can finally finish things and go home."

It was nice to see Natsuki not completely give in to despair, but Shizuru was still worried as she watched the girl bemusedly stare at the clouds in the sky. She stepped forward, hesitantly at first, but she shook her head and took more definitive steps through the snow. She unzipped the jacket and opened wide, grasping onto Natsuki and wrapping her arms around her. It was like hugging a block of ice—she barely managed to hold in a shiver as she rested her chin on Natsuki's shoulder. They stood still in this dark silence until an amused noise reverberated from Shizuru's throat onto Natsuki's shoulder.

"Now, I wonder if you remember something you told me," Shizuru began softly.

Her lips seemingly tickled Natsuki's ear and she managed to smile honestly at the sensation. This was rewarded with a tighter hug as the jacket overlapped around them.

"I've told you lots of things," Natsuki remarked. "You're going to have to be more specific than that."

"Hmm... You're right, I should be more precise."

Shizuru paused for a moment, inwardly savoring the slow thaw from ice cold to a comfortable coolness that contrasted with her own warm body under this heavy jacket. Natsuki smelled of mint with the faint undertone of citrus, a cool and tart scent that tickled her nose that was so used to smelling nothing but crisp evergreens and the stinging salt of the sea. Shizuru took in a deep breath and exhaled as the memories began to extract themselves from the neat filing cabinet she held in her mind. Memories of Natsuki were never short. There were a great many to choose from but this one was an important one, marked with a special folder.

"Alright, I have it. This should be easy, it was after you started your first year in high school. Remember Takeda-han?"

This brought a reaction that Shizuru had expected. An annoyed snort exited Natsuki's nose at the mere mention of that name and Shizuru felt herself grinning at the display.

"What about that pervert?" Natsuki grumbled.

"I just remember the rousing point you made towards him when he attempted to bail you out of detention in some show of chivalry," Shizuru recalled in a fond tone. "Several punks had tried to prove a point towards you and the story goes that you managed to knock them out within five minutes using only your right fist and a borrowed _shinai_ that you then proceeded to snap into two pieces when you brought it down on your knee. It was a rather rousing tale filled with some over-the-top bravado... At least, I thought so."

"Suzushiro apparently didn't share your idea of entertainment,"Natsuki pointed out. "I had detention until the beginning of winter break because of it, and I wasn't even able to defend myself from her interrogation squad either."

"Do you remember now?" Shizuru prompted.

Natsuki nodded slightly. Of course she remembered. It was what had caused her to receive the nickname "the lone wolf," the title she was referenced to during her high school career. Punks were afraid of her and she had gathered an unwanted following of colleagues and underclassmen. But the one person who suffered the most at her hands probably would have been one Takeda Masahi, captain of the Kendo team and unfortunate victim of one of the most devastating spinning hook kicks to the face by said "lone wolf" after a rather unfortunate incident involving stolen lingerie.

"Ah, I remember now."

_There are only two kinds of people in this world: Sheep who eat everything they're given in their stupidity and weak group mentality, and the wolves who are hungry enough to fight through the obstacles and eat the sheep in order to survive. Trying to save me will only result in your downfall, so don't even think about it! _

The statement was unspoken yet the forceful, roaring tones of one confident, rebellious seventeen year-old Natsuki resounded into echoes as they replayed the memories.

"I used to think it was such a misguided statement. The world as it was could not only exist due to fighting between these so-called wolves. Dominance was a nice way to make one's claim on the earth but I was never a firm believer in that concept. However... I couldn't help but feel as if it didn't matter if it was right, so long as you believed in it all the way. You were so passionate then. All alight in stubborn flames that refused to die down once you started up."

"I wonder what happened to that," Natsuki pondered aloud. She shrugged in her limited space. "I wonder if it was just me being young and stupid."

"I'm sure it hasn't gone far," Shizuru replied with a knowing smile. "There is still tomorrow, Natsuki, and the day after that. Staying in the past and brooding will not delay tomorrow. Remember, you are a wolf after all."

Natsuki remained silent as she considered Shizuru's words. She let out a brief chuckle that sounded freer as the wind picked it up and carried it up high.

"I wonder how you do it, Shizuru."

"Hmm?"

Natsuki leaned back ever so slightly into Shizuru.

"I remember now, from a long time ago. We thought the future was so limitless then. Now that we're approaching this future of ours it keeps growing more and more narrow and the choices are already so limited. When it comes down to it, we'll have to fight. That's the only option left, now."

"Would you fight Mai?" Shizuru asked suddenly.

Natsuki frowned but she knew the answer already. It felt as if it had been written long ago, decided before she was even born. Even Duran seemed to have recognized this inevitable clash.

"There were things I could have said and more things I could have done, but my own fears caused me to hold back and let some of this mess happen. No more. That isn't Mai. She's in there, but the person flying around setting everything on fire isn't Mai. It's Kagutsuchi I will beat until he begs for mercy. After that, the pieces should fall into place."

"Then..."

"Our questions were answered. We're not going to waste anymore time."

Natsuki turned and smiled at Shizuru.

"Thank you. Now I know why I have to fight. It used to be to find answers and to stop our suffering, but I know now."

There was a promise made long ago, a locked up hidden promise that had sustained the two through darker times. It had no words attached to it and was indescribable save for the very real bond that tied their hearts together and caused them to beat in unison. No more words were spoken between the two as they stood there for several more minutes, sharing a jacket and staring up at the now windless night that was free of the chilling wind. As they turned to go back into the house, Natsuki absently kicked at a patch of soft snow that showered powder everywhere in front of them. They thought nothing of it as they retired for the night, but the space that used to contain the loosely-packed snow now housed what looked to be a tiny crop of purple flowers.

They were now beginning to bloom.

* * *

AN: With a change of seasons comes a change of pace.

Another interesting dive into mythology, this time Welsh: Arianrhod gave birth to two sons, Dylan Ail Don and Lleu Llaw Gyffes, through magical means. Dylan plunged into the sea as soon as he hit his baptismal waters, thus earning his epithet Ail Don - son of the wave. Lleu Llaw Gyffes was born as a nameless lump of flesh that was locked away in a box until maturity. I don't know how far Sunrise went into little details, plus Duran is named for Natsuki's dog, but this little bit of information was somewhat fascinating and interestingly fits if one considers the mangaverse and Alyssa's relation to Natsuki.

I wonder if things will be more exciting now? Hahaha...


	18. Last Train Back, Welcome Home

Evening, Author here. As always, thanks for sticking around and reviewing.

Mai-hime and related belong to Sunrise

* * *

**Last Train Back, Welcome Home**

Mashiro was rarely ever amused but for some reason tonight her lips were almost permanently stuck in a sordid sort of half-smile that even began to unnerve her cousin Nagi. They sat across from one another in one of the many stately dining rooms located in the Homura mansion in Higashiyama-ku, one of the eleven wards of Kyoto that also housed the traditional entertainment district of Gion. The Homura family had historically dabbled in sponsoring particularly beautiful _Geiko_ and as such the most important family house was located rather close to the district. Right now they were being served tea by a demure young girl dressed in ornate silks, but neither of them paid too much attention to this aspiring _Maiko_ as she quietly bowed and shuffled back out of the room.

It had been at least a week since the fire in Hokkaido. Nagi wasn't quite sure how Mashiro and Fumi had escaped relatively intact but he had learned long ago not to question that strange pair. If anything they were highly resourceful and Fumi especially was not very well recognized when compared to the scion of the Fujino conglomerate so they could have legitimately snuck out. Speaking of Shizuru, he was mildly surprised to learn that she and her wolf managed to jump a ship out of Japan. The destination was lost to him but the sheer audacity of the two to go globe trotting at a time like this caused him to chuckle in sheer amusement. This amusement tripled when he had happened upon the news that Tomoe Marguerite was in the hospital sleeping off an injury to the back of her head from a blunt object.

_Honestly, Shizuru nee-chan... You're too soft sometimes._

There was no question about the inevitable meltdown that was going to occur. It would occur anywhere at any particular time. Historical records referred to it as a Festival, centered in that holy land of Fuuka, but the Fujino family knew better than to call it something fun. For hundreds of years they had offered their daughters to that mythical island of beasts and magic in some form of appeasement, never to hear from them again. The world kept revolving, however, and there was the subtle reminder that the Carnival was still in place and the world was alright. The clock was now ticking dangerously close to this cycle's end.

Right now Nagi was pretty sure that nothing of importance was going to occur, however. It was tea time, after all, and no one did anything mildly interesting during tea time. So he took his break and looked up at his cousin who was also munching on a snack. The _Maiko_ was long gone at this point, leaving just the two of them in this room in the relatively unoccupied mansion. Fumi was out grocery shopping. This seemingly mundane set of events was accentuated by the light snowfall that soon accumulated into clean sheets of white fluff. The doors to the room were opened to allow a full view of the gardens but they were both dressed warmly enough to remain comfortable in the cold. He had better things to do than shiver, anyway. The story Mashiro had given him just now had been absolutely fascinating.

"Then... You are saying that Kyoko oba-san did in fact survive that onslaught?" Nagi inquired as he took a cracker from the assorted pile on the plate before them.

"Yes. Not only that, she nearly killed Tokiha Mai-san for allowing the chance for Kuga-san and Shizuru onee-san to escape."

Mashiro took the tea cup with her small hands and tilted the cup slightly to peer down at the pale green liquid.

"Tokiha-san escaped into the skies before Fumi-san and I were able to contact her, however. I would have to say that I was rather thankful that Kiyohime cannot fly."

"... Troublesome." Nagi rested a palm on his knee. "Well, then. I guess that scenario failed rather spectacularly. That old woman's got a lot of stamina, I'm impressed. If something as powerful as Kagutsuchi can't beat her fairly in a fight, what good will Kuga do with her weak spirit? Kiyohime would tear her apart in three seconds."

"Oba-san has had the time to develop a finer degree of finesse in her control over Kiyohime," Mashiro noted after taking a sip of tea. "But I believe Kuga-san has what it takes to succeed where Kagutsuchi managed to fail. Despite all his power, Kagutsuchi is too unruly, too concerned for his own well-being to consider thinking more than two steps ahead. He only escaped because he became aware of the fact that he could lose his medium to Kiyohime's influence. Duran will at least listen to his mistress and dig his heels down when necessary."

"I don't know... I still think Kagutsuchi could conceivably win if pitted in another fight with Kiyohime."

"Nagi... you only say this because of your interest in the medium, not in the spirit," Mashiro commented with a shrewd glint in her eye.

Nagi leaned back and let loose a clear laugh. He knew he had been caught and Mashiro smiled at her minor victory.

"Haha... What can I say, really. She baked a most wonderful cake that could compete readily with most of the other cakes our personal chef constructs. It'd be a shame to never have another bite of it again."

"Perhaps."

"Still, you haven't explained why you're smiling like that. In fact I don't think you've smiled this much... since ever, really." Nagi straightened and gave a fond smile at his cousin. "What do you have planning in your pretty head?"

"No plans," Mashiro replied sweetly. "Just a conviction."

Nagi paused then stretched two fingers out to the snack plate, extracting a toasted cracker that had been drizzled with a sweet and salty mixture of mirin and soy sauce. He bit into the delicate snack and paused for a moment to brush off the crumbs before finishing up the cracker and returning to his tea. Mashiro languidly looked out to the open garden that had a very thin layer of snow covering the assembled rocks.

"Oh, so you are entirely convinced that Kuga will prevail in the end, aren't you? I'd have to say that this is the first time I've seen you toss your claim into the betting pool so early in the game."

Mashiro failed to take her eyes off of the garden but she nodded her head to indicate that she had been listening.

"I would have to be this convinced. There is nothing else that would deter me from my... bet, as you would call it. She makes herself out to be a very fascinating individual to study. After all, Kuga-san does not intend on dying right now, no matter what is thrown her way. She has been reunited with what she had lost, so there is no earthly force that will stop her now. Kiyohime's poison and Kagutsuchi's fires will be mere pinpricks compared to her resolve."

Nagi listened to her words and a smile curled onto his lips as he too faced the gardens.

"Well then, I suppose we are in for a good amount of entertainment after all."

"But..."

"Hm? What is it?"

"... Nagi, how well do you know John Smith?"

"Smith, huh. I can't say I know him very well, but do tell me why you are asking."

Mashiro paused and a troubled look crossed her eyes. Nagi waited for her but his lips too had begun to drop down from his Cheshire grin into more of a straight line.

"Some time ago Fumi-san and I ran into an individual named Alyssa Searrs. She and her retainer Miyu Greer had happened upon the two of us when we were investigating the First District ruins in Asahikawa."

Nagi frowned.

"Did the two of you fight?"

"We tried to avoid it, but she had exclaimed something about me being the 'Queen of Hell,' and Fumi-san was forced to protect me when her retainer attacked us without warning." Mashiro's eyes darkened at the memory. "We were able to retreat without sustaining any major injury."

"Retreat? How unlike you. Fumi is highly trained in combat arts. Normal opponents wouldn't last ten seconds with her."

"There is something unnatural about that Miyu Greer," Mashiro noted softly. "Searrs, we discovered, was a corporation trying to manipulate First District into playing into their hands. The girl was an artificially-created human being and Miyu was a combat android built to serve as her protector. The connection with Searrs and First District is clear enough, but to what ends, we aren't sure. We did discover something interesting about the DNA donors for Alyssa's creation, however."

"Oh? Anyone we know?" Nagi asked offhandedly.

"Kuga Saeko."

"A familiar name."

"In more ways than one, apparently. It seems she wanted to sell her daughter Natsuki to Searrs, and First District did not take too kindly to it."

"So, I'm guessing this lovely individual is not available for an interview now," Nagi replied.

"I'm afraid not. But this is not about the past. John Smith used to be the head of Searrs until an undocumented dismissal forced him to turn to First District and under Shigeru oji-san's employment, later as Kyoko oba-san's advisor. I'm afraid he may have been seeking out Kuga-san since the beginning."

Nagi paused until his lips parted questioningly.

"... The accident."

"It was staged. Everything, from the intersection being ridiculously busy that day to the fact that the Ducati's brakes failed to work." Mashiro closed her eyes. "By association, we too are guilty of this."

"Impossible." Nagi stood and bared his teeth in a grimace. "I would never put a family member of mine in jeopardy!"

"There was nothing we could have done," Mashiro countered, but Nagi was beyond that reconciliation.

"She could have died, Mashiro!"

"It is out of our hands now," Mashiro argued in a firm tone, finally reaching her distraught cousin. "The pieces are all in play and the Carnival has already begun. While there aren't as many as we would have feared, Kagutsuchi and Kiyohime were still the strongest of them all."

"The Twelve," Nagi murmured. He began to tick the names off with his fingers. "Hari, Gakutenou, Duran, Julia, St. Vlas, Yatagarasu, Miroku, Diana, Kiyohime, Kagutsuchi, Gennai, and Suishou. Only three have awakened in this particular conflict. We seem to be running towards death's door rather quickly, this time. According to the records, previous carnivals have been lacking all the players as well."

"Perhaps. But maybe this will be the last conflict. There is nothing at stake, and the winner could very well stand the chance of gaining limitless power at no expense."

Nagi shrugged easily.

"I guess. There has been a generational gap in Kiyohime's manifestation, and Kagutsuchi chose a different medium. This, along with Searrs and First District interfering, could show that there may not even be a Carnival this time around."

"No..."

Nagi looked down at Mashiro, who now had a very serious expression on her face.

"No... there will be no Carnival."

Mashiro stared out at the gardens with sad eyes.

"We have struggled against forces beyond our control and now they are showing us how pitiful our efforts have turned out to be. There will only be a Massacre."

* * *

A note came to Shigeru as he sat in his empty office the now cleared hotel building. Everyone save for a few maids had been dismissed by him, and the maids themselves had been tasked with cleaning up the area while he went through the scattered papers on his desk. Now that activity ceased as his eyes quickly went over the white sheet of paper clutched in his hand. He wasn't sure if he could believe it, but to his knowledge, Kyoko never lied when it was important. And now this note was claiming that his daughter would be in danger if she was in Tokyo.

_Kagutsuchi has laid down his cards. I will be there to finish him off. Do NOT interfere with me, and Shizuru will be spared._

The note included a hastily-scribbled line consisting of a street address. A quick search rewarded him with the directions to what looked to be a rather popular club in downtown Roppongi. For a moment he folded his hands in front of him as he closed his eyes and thought. This was dangerously close to becoming a train wreck of a situation, but no amount of cautiousness was going to get them out of this one. He knew the history behind his family and the conflict that had gripped them for generations. He knew, but he had never expected it to be this overblown especially with a maverick spirit flying around causing mayhem wherever it touched down. He opened one eye and stared down at the note before sighing and leaning back into his chair.

He would go to Tokyo, of course. Who would accompany him?

He turned to the phone and dialed out a short string of numbers. After three rings the line was picked up and a polite voice answered.

"Ah, Kanzaki, was it? Yes, this is Fujino Shigeru."

Shigeru listened to the young man for a moment before he sighed.

"Kanzaki-han, I wish to meet with you and your sister in an hour. Is that alright? Alright. There is no need, I will send a company car. Yes, I will see you then."

He disconnected and dialed out another line to his driver. After rattling off the orders he put the phone down and tapped his chin twice before getting up from his chair and facing the wide windows of his Fuuka office. His lips twitched into a short smile as he spent his free hour to watch the snow falling on the trees and whiting out the landscape. The hour passed and the front doors of his office opened to reveal a sharply dressed man and a younger girl in a high school uniform clutching a rather long box. The two walked in quietly and stopped in front of him as he turned and acknowledged them.

"Good afternoon, Kanzaki-han, Minagi-han."

"Good afternoon!" Mikoto chirped as Reito bowed his head.

"Now, I'm sure you guessed as to why I've called the two of you down here. This goes along with what we discussed earlier," Shigeru began.

"We are aware of it," Reito replied in a serious tone. "The Carnival's history is well known and the severity of this situation is not lost to us."

"Good. Then I hope there aren't any objections when I ask you to accompany me to Tokyo."

Reito looked up in mild confusion as did his sister.

"Tokyo, sir?"

Shigeru nodded.

"That will be the site of the final confrontation. Mai-hime is making her way there as we speak, and will more likely than not initiate the battle with my sister in a continuation of the fight in Hokkaido. There is a good chance that Kuga-han and my daughter will be there as well."

Reito paused but Mikoto was already there with her eyes on fire.

"We need to save Mai!" she announced in her own seriousness.

"I need to borrow your powers," Shigeru continued. "Maybe we'll be able to stop this cycle once and for all."

The meeting was dismissed and Mikoto eagerly scrambled out of the room when Shigeru offhandedly mentioned that one of the maids was preparing a meal for the two of them. The Fujino patriarch turned to face a contemplative Reito.

"... What is in that box that your sister carries?" Shigeru asked after a moment of silence.

"To be honest, we don't know," Reito admitted. He offered a slight shrug. "We've never been able to open the box despite trying various methods to get it to open. Mikoto even kicked it off the roof of Fuuka Gakuen and the box bounced and landed into a pile of bushes."

"Strange..."

"But I'm sure it'll open on its own accord," Reito added with a small smile. "After all, Mikoto told me that the box started to quiver whenever Mai-san was mentioned."

"About Mai-han..."

"... Yes?"

Shigeru smiled.

"You like her, don't you?"

Reito remained curiously silent for a minute and Shigeru's smile grew wider.

"You don't have to hide it from me. I'm not your age! Who am I going to go gossip to?"

Reito laughed at the comment. Shigeru could have easily compared to most of the male peers Reito knew. He wasn't sure if it was because of the easy laugh that Shigeru was known for or the kind maple-red eyes, but the man was far from old. He would probably live forever.

"Ah... well, I guess you can say so." Reito cleared his throat. "But it's in the past now. She chose another over me."

"And now you think you don't have a chance because of that Kagutsuchi running her around Japan?" Shigeru asked with a raised eyebrow.

"... Something like that."

"Well, that can't be helped I guess." Then Shigeru clapped a hand onto Reito's shoulder. The younger man could feel those strong fingers nearly dig into his skin. "But don't let that get you down. The damsel in distress needs to be saved, you know. So man up and get the girl this time around."

With that, Shigeru let go and returned to his office, giving Reito a small dismissal. Before he walked out, however, he shook his head and let a low chuckle leave his lips as he straightened his tie and exited the office. Shigeru watched him go with a grin on his face before he dug out his wallet. After flipping through the worn leather, he extracted a tiny picture that he had carried with him everywhere he went. The quiet aquamarine eyes of his wife stared back at him as he smiled sadly.

"I'm sorry, Kiyo, for a lot of things. I know you hate it when I smile like I have nothing to lose. I'm afraid our precious daughter is about to walk into the doors of death, and I can't do anything to stop her when I'm going down the same path."

He placed the picture into the inside pocket of his suit jacket, close to his heart. After patting it absently he took in a deep breath and sighed, staring out at the cold gray skies.

"But I'm content. I may be seeing you soon, after all."

* * *

The bullet train from Aomori in the far north of Honshu to Tokyo would take a couple of hours. During this peaceful lull Shizuru and Natsuki found themselves to little to nothing to do other than sit and eat the boxed lunches provided for them. Natsuki stared out the window, seeing little else but a purely white landscape. A comfortable weight settled onto her shoulder and she paused, shifting around until she found the dropped pillow on Shizuru's lap. She gently lifted Shizuru's nodding head and placed the pillow on top of her shoulder, letting Shizuru's head fall down onto the added softness. Natsuki considered sleeping as well but as tired as she felt she could not keep her eyes closed long enough to drift off. Maybe it had something to do with the twisting turmoil in her stomach. The food was alright, different from the heavy soups and heartier meals from up north but at the same time familiar enough. Her stomach gurgled slightly and she patted it to calm it down. So, Tokyo it was. Where on earth would they go to next? Their old apartment would be a decent enough stopping point, but she knew that it would only be a matter of time until either the Marguerite family or First District checked that area.

She reached down and picked up a slim manila folder, flicking it open with two fingers and steadying the papers on her lap with the palm of her hand. Shizuru breathed out in one long sigh and Natsuki smiled as she flipped through the papers slowly. Alyssa had given them this folder before their departure to a port near Aomori that wasn't under the same deadlock that Hokkaido was still trudging through. This was the second part of their discovery during their foray down to the First District Lab. Whoever wrote this rather interesting set of accounts was a pretty descriptive fellow. The papers began with what looked to be a legend from long ago. Twelve maidens in the Fuuka area, an area historically associated with magical phenomena, would take part in some battle royale where the winner would then go and save the world from a star crashing into the planet. This maiden in turn would turn into the life force that would sustain Fuuka for three centuries until the reemergence of the threat on the planet. That made for some fascinating reading complete with a strange twist. The papers went on to speculate on the reason why this 300-year cycle was going a bit strange with every turn of the wheel.

Apparently this was more than a struggle to protect one's most important person. With every victory over another maiden, the maiden would receive some portion of that defeated maiden's power with the death of the most important person. This would go on until this bracket-like system of battles thinned out to the inevitable final confrontation between what would be two ridiculously overpowered individuals. The sheer power released in this sort of battle would have been unbelievable. They were pushed to fight by mysterious spectators, it seemed. There was an element of madness to this Carnival where the girls would eventually grow insane if they did not fight. This insanity would cause them to take up their arms and battle regardless, so it became one strange circle from refusal to unrestrained fury. Apparently these battles contained hundreds if not thousands of maidens and their corresponding spirits, referred to as CHILDs by this document. As the cycles passed, however, these ranks thinned and thinned until they reached what looked to be the accepted number of twelve. One for every zodiac sign of the year, governed by their temperaments and their affinities for whatever CHILD they managed to forge a contract with.

There were several points that Natsuki already found in conflict to their own story. One, there were supposed to be twelve young maidens, possessing a CHILD they could call on will to fight with them. These CHILDs in turn needed a strong enough emotion associated with the caller's "most important person" in order to be summoned effectively. If that referred to Natsuki and her Duran, she would already argue on that point. To her knowledge, those containing these spirits came from both genders, and there was no way to manifest Duran outside of her body. Likewise she never saw Kagutsuchi or Kiyohime outside of their mistresses. She certainly did not need Shizuru to summon Duran—if anything she needed Shizuru to stop Duran from surfacing. And these other creatures, or CHILDs? Who the hell were they? Natsuki had never seen let alone heard of these strange things in the company records aside from vague references to mythology. The blacklist Kuga Saeko had tried to sell had no mention of these strange names save for Mai's Kagutsuchi. This Carnival, if it was to convene now, was a bit late in coming. If anything it should have been years earlier when Kyoko Marguerite was a teenager. Now this produced an interesting point, for Kyoko was indeed the carrier for Kiyohime, who was mentioned in the blacklist almost as an after-note. The Fujino family had traditionally been tied to Kiyohime and the girls who forged a contract with her were of Fujino blood. This much Shizuru could confirm, but they were both at a loss as to why this event happened when it did.

Why did the Carnival not take place earlier, then?

Natsuki stared out towards the gray sky. Apparently there was supposed to be some sort of red star in the sky that only these maidens could see. On a whim Shizuru had looked up towards the clear cold sky of the Kuril Islands, but she shook her head and saw nothing outside of the impossibly white moon above them. Natsuki exercised some curiosity now in that train seat but came up empty as well when she saw nothing but the snow-heavy clouds. This entire scenario reeked of something foul. Someone must have been manipulating these girls into fighting one another under the guise of wanting to prevent a worldwide calamity. But now these supposed champions were very few and far in between. In fact, there were only three, and one of them was being controlled by their spirit. Natsuki didn't think Kagutsuchi using Mai's body as a puppet counted as a potential savior of the world. So, what else was there left to speculate? Natsuki tucked her chin in and frowned as she thought.

Well, there was something about how the girls would pick each other off until the last two remained standing. This resulted in a duel to the death, which wasn't so different from the other fights but this was an added bonus of the victorious maiden being granted with a terrifying amount of power after the defeated maiden fell in battle. Enough power to stop a racing star from crashing into the earth could safely be enough power to do pretty much anything, especially if there was no star to contend with. A lot of people would benefit from being in direct control of this power. Natsuki doubted that a maiden who spent a good portion of her life fighting to keep her most important person alive would want to have anything more to do with the same power that landed her in that strange situation in the first place. Natsuki drew her chin up and rested her head against Shizuru's as she stared down at the papers once more.

It began to fit. Someone—a bunch of someones, Natsuki mused—was trying to rig this supposed Carnival. There probably never was a planet-destroying star after all, just a bunch of scared girls being forced to fight one another in some elaborate rendition of what was still a chicken fight. First District was once a demon-exterminating agency under direct orders from the Imperial Court. Their meticulous records on these maidens of Fuuka and their battles were passed down when First District evolved from casual observers to seemingly direct participants in this Carnival. It would readily explain their sudden interest in individuals like Kyoko, who had been sent as a young child into being examined. Perhaps they were trying to groom a champion? Whatever it was, the First District had to abandon their grooming in favor of some other lucrative enterprise. The Carnival was probably unsuccessful, Natsuki concluded, and First District abandoned their champion in favor of running mass experiments on others with similar conditions. Perhaps that was why they had shown such a keen interest in herself, which soon grew to mild disappointment when it was discovered that she had harbored Duran, a spirit that played more of a wild-card factor than a champion role. Searrs must have seen something they liked, however, and that triggered Kuga Saeko's turncoat activities. What were they looking for?

Was she going to end up the same way? Dead? Was this what all of their struggles amounted to? Her heart began to thump painfully as she looked over at the soft flaxen hair on her shoulder. Was Shizuru going to be alright? Would she die as well? Would they both go together, or would one of them go before the other? The thoughts piled onto her, one after the other, until she felt her lips begin to tremble with the stark realization that dying was a very real possibility now. Natsuki closed her eyes and shook her head, shaking Shizuru from her nap.

"... Natsuki?"

Shizuru frowned when she saw Natsuki attempt to smile but the younger girl gently waved away her concerns.

"I'm fine. I just need to go to the toilet."

Shizuru nodded and Natsuki slid from the window seat down to the aisle where she made her way to the bathrooms. After locking herself into the small cubicle she turned on the faucet and let the cold water run in the sink as she stared at her face in the mirror. She wanted to close her eyes but forced herself to stare into the mirror. It had been happening for a long time, now. Her right eye was losing its clarity and was turning into a smokier color of green, into something not human. The pupil was still round but it had lost its stark boundaries against the emerald iris. She was staring into the fierce eye of a wolf with her dead left eye still retaining its emerald—human—clarity. Perhaps she should have felt grateful over her dead eye. It would be the only thing to remain human if she continued to muddle through the already faint line between human and beast.

"... It won't be long, now," she said softly.

Natsuki splashed some of the water on her face and wiped herself down with a paper towel before taking in a deep breath and walking out of the bathroom. She returned without comment to the seat and stared out the window even as she felt those inquisitive crimson eyes on her.

"Are you alright?"

Natsuki nodded.

"... Look at me, Natsuki. With both eyes, this time."

Natsuki sighed and turned. Shizuru smiled and quietly brushed away several wayward strands of dark hair. She knew about the changes occurring in her Natsuki's body. It was a hard fact that she had to accept—the more Natsuki used her powers, the more she succumbed to the wolf underneath. She brushed that morbid thought aside and caressed Natsuki's jawline with her fingers, finally resting her palm against her cheek.

"You don't have to hide it," she chided gently.

"You aren't afraid?" Natsuki muttered, unconvinced.

"Never. As long as you are here, I'd have no reason to be afraid."

Natsuki sighed and leaned into the touch slightly. She was rewarded by Shizuru's thumb grazing against her cheek and running faintly across her lips.

"This entire thing is stupid," Natsuki murmured finally. "If we fight, we'll die. If we don't fight, we'll get stabbed in the back and then die. There really is nothing left for us to do."

She wondered how far she could run away. It was easy enough to disable the attendants and open the door, and even easier to tumble out and hope nothing was broken too badly. Then it would be an even simpler matter of racing out in Duran's form. There would be no obstacle hard enough to bowl over... but she knew she would not get very far at all. Shizuru sighed and leaned forward so that their foreheads touched.

"No matter what happens, we'll be together for it," Shizuru said simply. "It's no use trying to over-think something that's going to come to pass."

It seemed the train only took five minutes to get to Tokyo. They wordlessly disembarked and gathered their bags, stepping out into the train station to stretch their legs before hailing a taxi cab from the line parked out front. Shizuru rattled off the address and the driver idly chatted with her while Natsuki stared out the windows with a lost expression on her face.

_Why couldn't I stop myself from turning out this way?_

With a simple turn of the keys, the iron door was opened and they stepped into the freezing cold of their home. They said nothing but set down their luggage and began to turn on the lights and heat. Within a half hour the apartment was warm enough to let them take off their heavy coats and they laid them aside on the coat tree before Shizuru turned to the kitchen and prepared some tea. For a moment it seemed like Natsuki's eyes had deceived her.

"_I'm home, Shizuru!"_

"_Ara, welcome back Natsuki. How was the shop?"_

"_Well, you know, that idiot Takeru decided to switch a spark plug when that wasn't the problem at all. I swear, I don't know why I even hired him..."_

Natsuki's eyelids fluttered and she was broken out of her memories by the strong smell of lemon tea. Shizuru sighed and patiently held the cup out to her.

"It appears all the green tea is gone," she noted. "But drink. You need to warm up a little."

The green tea was gone? That was impossible, they never ran out—Natsuki blinked. She now remembered why the tea was missing. Every day, for the past year, she had stood there near the kitchen counter with a steaming cup of green tea. The bitter taste was strange and she preferred her coffee over it, but every day, she sat there in the quiet mornings with the tea cup steaming in front of her. And she would finish the cup, no matter how bitter, if only to remember that taste.

She closed her eyes and willed the burning sensation behind them to stop. She didn't have the time to cry, not now when their world was about to end. She took the cup wordlessly and drank down the cooling liquid, taking in the tart taste of lemon and the faint note of honey that seeped down to her throat. Shizuru picked up her own cup and blew into the liquid before taking a small sip. They sat there on the couch together, taking their time with their own cups of tea and trying to remember the happier times spent in this empty apartment. But the pictures were dusty, and the glass streaked, and the present weighed so heavily onto their hearts. Natsuki finished her tea and set the cup down on the table before pushing herself up to her feet. Shizuru did not follow her as she walked into their bedroom and opened the closet, revealing the neat rows of suits. Natsuki unzipped her hoodie and pulled it off over her head when Shizuru finally made her way to the bedroom.

It was now or never. If Natsuki didn't go now, she would never have the strength to leave Shizuru behind.

"What are you planning on doing now?" she asked as Natsuki tossed the hoodie onto the bed.

"... Getting ready to go," Natsuki mumbled as her fingers fumbled with her belt buckle. "Shizuru... you need to stay here. Go back to Fuuka and wait there with your dad and Suzushiro..."

It took several tries but she finally managed to undo the belt that held those loose pants up. The pants slid down so that her hip bones peeked out underneath the simple white t-shirt she wore. Her fingers were now shaking as she attempted to undo the button of her pants, but finally she gave up and aimed a wild fist against the closet. Shizuru sighed as skin connected with wood, and she stepped forward when Natsuki's shoulders began to shake.

"Natsuki, I'm not going to let you go through this alone."

"... I'm going to die," she managed to get out before Shizuru's hand clasped onto her throbbing hand.

"That's not decided yet," Shizuru replied evenly, only to be faced by fierce emerald eyes when Natsuki whirled around.

"Why can't you... Why can't you just leave?" Natsuki demanded in a pained voice. "I don't want you to die. I want you to get the hell away from me, from here. I'm scared that I can't protect you anymore, Shizuru."

"My, but I'm not sure you would be successful if you demanded that I get away from you," Shizuru replied with half a teasing lilt. "But Natsuki, whatever happens will happen. We are just here for the ride; the train will take us where we need to go."

"Stop speaking in these riddles," Natsuki whispered, but her head thudded numbly against Shizuru's neck and she allowed herself to be held.

This quiet moment of panic seized her and suddenly she pushed herself away from Shizuru. The older girl blinked in mild confusion that quickly erased when Natsuki grabbed onto the sides of her face with both hands and smashed her lips against hers. Even without their connection Shizuru could read the simple need behind that desperate kiss. They had to be concrete with a beating heart, to be warm and breathing and alive. Shizuru felt herself being pushed against the bed and she complied, falling back with that comfortable weight on top of her.

Natsuki paused for a moment to pull her shirt off over her head. Muscles beneath her skin rippled as she raised her arms above her head, but in the darkness all Shizuru could see were the faint lines of criss-crossing scars that marked Natsuki's upper back and arms. Some were battle wounds, others were self-inflicted when Natsuki had no way of controlling Duran. It was during a circumstance such as that when Shizuru first realized that there was something with this girl that was beyond the cold attitude and cute expressions. A normal girl would have run away from this strange half-wolf, half-girl digging her claws into her arms in an attempt to stop herself from lashing out in fear and anger. Shizuru had simply grasped onto those hands and refused to let go until the transformation had subsided. She had never let go of her Natsuki since that day, and she was not about to let go of her now.

_Back then, we only got by on skinned knees and thoughts that we could escape from our destinies._

Shizuru felt the fabric of her turtleneck sweater ride up as fingertips grazed her skin, causing a trail of goosebumps to rise as Natsuki slowly pulled the sweater up. She sat up and the sweater stretched slightly as it was taken off, leaving them both shirtless. Those fingertips returned to her back where they ran against the still-healing lines from Kagutsuchi's first appearance. A dark frown entered Natsuki's lips as she traced those lines with her own fingers, but Shizuru shivered under the touch. Instead of the white-hot sensation of pain she had endured under those fiery nails she felt nothing but a faint tickling, a familiar touch that she yearned for. She looked up and saw the tears and doubt swimming in those lost emerald eyes, doubts she wished she could erase with just a simple wave of the hand. Instead she drew Natsuki closer and placed a kiss on her collarbone. Natsuki shivered as Shizuru's tongue flicked out, making a trail up to her neck and placing butterfly kisses along the way to a rather sensitive point under her ear. A barely-constrained groan emerged from her lips when Shizuru withdrew from that sensitive spot, but Natsuki failed to complain when Shizuru suddenly pushed her down onto the bed.

"No matter how hard you fight, no matter how much you try, I won't let you go alone," Shizuru whispered.

Now those tears fell down in streams and Natsuki took in a shuddering gasp as Shizuru's hands made short work of that stubborn button that kept her baggy pants up on her slim hips. She paused for a moment to undo her own dress and stockings, letting the fabric slide down to the floor before she stepped out dressed only in her underwear. When she laid down on top of Natsuki once more their skin shivered at the contact but soon the heat and friction caused the shivers to stop.

"Forget all of this, just for today. When we get up later, come heaven or hell, we'll be ready for it. But forget about it right now."

Natsuki closed her eyes and nodded. She felt silky strands of hair brush against her bare midsection until a sweet breath blew down on her lips. She brought hand up and grasped onto the back of Shizuru's neck, rubbing her fingers against the base of her skull as they leaned into each other. They drank from one another, kissing until oxygen was quite clearly a necessity for them to continue. Natsuki's hands acted on their own accord, trailing down as her fingers rubbed against sensitive spots that caused those quickened pants to blow into her ears, matching the pace of her own thundering heart. And when Shizuru threw her head back after her fingers and lips reached simultaneous spots of pleasure, she knew that Shizuru had been just as apprehensive as she was about the entire deal. Who knew what the future held for them? But tonight the skin beneath her fingertips was warm and the breaths against her ear were driving her absolutely crazy. There was no time to angst over some blank slate when those sweet lips captured hers over and over again for kisses, each more fulfilling than the last. Destiny and Fate had no jurisdiction over their love. Those two forces would have to wait until they were finished making up for their lost year.

* * *

The note was in their mailbox. It contained only three lines: the venue, the address, and the time. Natsuki flicked it away into the trash before going back to bed to snooze next to Shizuru. For a moment only the quiet whispers from Natsuki to Shizuru sounded off in the stillness until they too were swallowed up by the comfortable haze of quiet and warmth of blankets. They were feeling outrageously lazy today despite knowing full well what would await them tonight.

Natsuki sat at the end of their bed, freshly-showered and wide awake at seven in the evening. She was already partially dressed in her suit pants, socks, and an unbuttoned light-blue dress shirt over a white tank-top. Her fingers nimbly went down the row, buttoning up the buttons with ease. She even paused and frowned at this, but shrugged and stood up to tuck the shirt into her pants before buckling in the black leather belt. After shuffling through the closet and turning up empty handed, she turned when she felt something lightly tossed over her shoulder. Her fingers grazed against the dark blue silk tie but her eyes were firmly locked on the bare back of Shizuru.

"Do me," Shizuru commanded with a wink before gathering her hair up so that it wouldn't get caught.

Natsuki smiled and stepped up behind Shizuru. Her fingers grasped onto the tiny zipper and slowly pulled it up until it clicked into place, securing the black dress onto her figure. She placed a soft kiss on Shizuru's shoulder and inhaled the light perfume that surrounded her figure before letting go to let Shizuru finish getting ready. Natsuki quickly but neatly did her tie, adjusting the length before pulling on the fitted suit jacket and doing up all the buttons. Finally she fitted her watch on her wrist and clicked the metal bracelet shut to secure it.

"So, dinner in a half hour, and the club?" Natsuki asked nonchalantly as she walked out of the bedroom and towards the living room.

"Mhmm..." Shizuru paused to check herself in the mirror before she too walked out. "Remember, eat light, or else we'll waste dessert like we did last time."

"Yeah, I know... Hey, do you think they'll have ice cream at this time of year?"

"Ice cream? I don't see why not, unless you want to try to eat that four-scoop sundae again. What do you think about mango pudding? It was pretty good at the dim sum place we went."

"... Too sweet, too sweet."

"Hm... You'll only get to choose one, you know."

Shizuru picked through the coats on the coat tree before settling on a longer and warmer coat as Natsuki pulled on a pair of black leather gloves. Natsuki held out the heavy coat as Shizuru turned to put her arms through the sleeves. After smoothing the coat down she picked up her own coat and shrugged it on, feeling the familiar fur covered collar hug her bare neck and cheeks. She fitted on her shoes and carefully placed the black heels on Shizuru's feet before she straightened and met those crimson eyes.

"... Are you sure?"

"I am."

Natsuki offered her arm and Shizuru took it. She opened the door and they stepped out into the twilight.

"Shizuru."

She looked up with curious crimson eyes.

"Yes, my Natsuki?"

Emerald eyes dimmed for a second before refocusing on crimson.

"I love you."

Lips parted questioningly before they eased into a smile that stayed even as another pair of soft lips brushed up against them. Silence followed the brief smack of lips separating as slow, hesitant smiles grew.

"I love you too."

* * *

AN: There's always that nervous feeling in one's stomach as they approach something life-changing. I like to compare it to the split second of serendipity you feel at the height of a roller coaster's climb. Everything seems so clear and your eyes can see for miles and miles. Then that feeling fizzles in your stomach as the roller coaster takes you screaming back to earth.

I like to think that the two of them are feeling something like that as they go out for a delicious dinner and night out in town.

Cheers.


	19. Agnus Dei

Morning, Author here.

Thank you for the reviews. I'm releasing this chapter a day early to make up for the rest of the busy week.

Mai-hime and related belong to Sunrise

* * *

**Agnus Dei**

The Suzushiro mansion was in a virtual uproar as the mistress began her death march up and down the empty hallways and vacated rooms. Yukino wisely shut herself in her room with the computer screens running at full force while Haruka wore the carpet thin with her aggravated pacing and opened doors that had already been opened countless times before. She just couldn't believe it. In the space of what seemed to be several days, everyone she had housed turned out missing. First to go was that Kuga and she just knew the punk was running around getting herself in loads of trouble—Fujino was probably all over that mess too. Haruka didn't even want to think about that headache-inducing problem. Then came Tokiha's busting out and that coincidental fire in Hokkaido that seemed all too convenient for her liking. Shigeru was the next delinquent to go and she honestly had better expectations for the man. It wasn't as if he needed to lay his life on the line for the antics of a bunch of power-wielding girls. The Kanzaki/Minagi/Whatever-they-referred-to-themselves-as siblings were the final ones to abandon the Suzushiro ship with some bogus excuse about needing to pick up something at home. It was the oldest trick in the book and she still wondered how she managed to let them get away. She knew they were up to something when that familiar black company car of the Fujino came rolling by to pick them up. _All_ of them were going to kiss her fists when she found them, but Kuga first. She was definitely going to enjoy giving Kuga the first and biggest punishment for being such a punk. Yukino heard the strange laughs echoing down the hall and she pinched the bridge of her nose before finally deciding that it was more important to stop Haruka, even if it did sacrifice her own easy life in front of those computers.

"Haruka-chan... it's really no use," Yukino said with a weary sigh.

"No! Those little jerks are going to pay their dues and we're going to find them!" Haruka declared with a fist pumped up in the air.

"... I don't even know why I'm going to ask this... but how are we supposed to find them?" Yukino asked.

"Hm!" Another strange laugh came out and Yukino frowned at her friend, wondering if she was really losing her marbles. "That's where your doubt will now cease to desist!"

"... Exist, Haruka-chan."

"Yeah, yeah! Just pay attention for a bit and let me finish before I jumble it up again." Haruka cleared her throat to prepare her explanation of her master plan. "See here, Yukino. Remember that project you worked on during high school for the robotics exhibition?"

Yukino thought back to it and finally nodded as she recalled the exact circumstance. It had been a rather ambitious project despite the requirements for the exhibition being rather elementary in comparison. She had experimented on the use of reconnaissance devices that were both easy to deploy for the user and undetectable by the person being watched. She likened it to a spore released by a plant and had even gained the idea by watching a dandelion's seeds scatter whenever Haruka picked up a fuzzy blossom and blew on the white tufts. It had taken several tries to create a successful cloaking mechanism for the spore but the result was a working prototype that was to be praised when considering the rather menial funding put into it. It had been given a favorable mention at the exhibit but no one had approached her for a development of a marketable model, so she had placed the project back into the Suzushiro laboratory and formally washed her hands of the affair. She was surprised that Haruka even remembered the project but at the same time a smile wormed its way to her face as she looked up at her best friend.

"Well, what about my old project?" Yukino asked, prompting her to go on.

"I took it," Haruka said proudly.

Yukino paused.

"... What?"

"I know I didn't screw that one over, Yukino, but I'll repeated it just the same. I took it!" Haruka repeated firmly before going further. "I activated it, and I put a 'spore' or whatever you called it on Minagi's little box thing."

Yukino adjusted her glasses. First of all, how on earth did Haruka manage to get the system online to even employ one of the spores? Her knowledge with computers was decent enough but the project had been stashed away long enough so that the internal batteries for the controller would have expired long ago. Second, the "box" Haruka mentioned must have been the strange wooden box that Mikoto had taken to lugging around the Suzushiro mansion shortly before their untimely exit. Haruka had given it an experimental lift once to try figuring out what was inside and was mildly surprised at the sheer weight of that package. They wondered what was in it but due to common courtesy did not attempt to open it despite it being stacked up against the coat closet whenever Mikoto was exploring the mansion. How Haruka, who was not very well-known for being sneaky, managed to smack a spore on that box was beyond Yukino's comprehension. But Haruka seemed to know what she was going and she gave off a successful little laugh in light of the circumstance.

"Those amateurs thought they could get away from this Suzushiro Haruka!" the blonde girl declared with a smirk. "That goes to show how wrong those little delinquents are."

"I see..." Yukino cleared her throat. "Where is the viewing unit, then?"

"Oh! I have it right here."

Haruka brandished what looked to be an octagonal hand-held mirror with an ornate green back. Yukino took it gently and tapped the side of it to reveal a sort of menu screen that blipped to life on the mirror. After a few seconds of tapping at the menu the mirror's surface shuddered briefly to reveal what looked to be a moving environment. Haruka cheered.

"See! It works!"

Yukino couldn't help but smile as she pushed the mirror back so Haruka could see it as well. Even the spore's microphone seemed to work as garbled conversation filtered through with a fair amount of static.

"They seem rather far away from Fuuka judging from the amount of noise," Yukino noted with a worried frown. "At this rate the sound will cut off and the video will be out soon after that."

"Then we'll just have to look for visual clues until the GPS system locks on," Haruka replied simply.

They watched and waited, noting that the box was moving through what looked to be the streets of a city. Snow was on the ground but all they could see were national chains of stores and nothing too telling of the immediate area. They immediately ruled out Hokkaido—no one could get in or out at the time due to the fire now being labeled as a terrorist act. The GPS struggled through its location search and they saw even more dingy streets along with the brief flicker of a black suit.

"Oh, that must be Kanzaki," Haruka pointed out as she nodded towards the black suit.

"It would appear so. I wish there was..." Yukino paused. "Wait a minute."

She stopped the real-time view and quickly brought up the menu again on the device. After scrolling through the options she brought up a screen shot of the time just before she had paused.

"Doesn't that look familiar to you?" she asked to a curious Haruka.

"Hm? Let me see."

She was handed the mirror and she squinted as she tried to discern what Yukino had so readily picked out. She saw what looked to be a red and white wire structure in the far distance. There was no mistaking what it could have been.

"... Tokyo Tower?" Haruka frowned and scratched her head before she did a double-take. "EH? What the hell are they doing all the way over there?!"

"GPS coordinates confirmed," Yukino announced over Haruka's exclamation. "They're heading towards what appears to be the bay area. I'm going back to the computer to pull up a list of establishments in that area. Haruka-chan, can you put that back in real-time?"

Haruka nodded and tapped at the side of the mirror once more to go back to the viewing mode. In under two minutes Yukino returned with a slim stack of papers in her hands.

"This is all I could pull up about the area," she explained. "But through process of elimination we should be able to figure out their destination."

"... Sounds good."

Yukino nodded and began to pour through the lists as Haruka clapped her fist up against her open palm.

"Wait for us, delinquents. This Haruka is going to give you a righteous pounding!"

* * *

They ended up having the mango pudding after all.

Of course they had ice cream on the menu. They even had the sundae Natsuki had been dying to try ever since she had heard of it. But Natsuki couldn't help but order the mango pudding instead, even if the dessert was sweet enough to make her teeth hurt and rich enough to make her stomach uneasy after having several heaping spoonfuls with the evaporated milk topping. Shizuru's earnest eyes literally called for the sweet treat as soon as the plates had been cleared and the dessert menu was presented. The bill was outrageous, but for the first time they didn't have a meaningless conversation over it as Natsuki sent a credit card back with the bill as she handed it back to the waiter. They walked out of the trendy restaurant hand in hand with a cold wind pushing them along.

"Do you think she'll be there?" Shizuru asked quietly as they walked down the street.

"Yeah. It's a strange feeling. Like a calling of some sort." Natsuki squinted and moved her head side to side. "I dunno how else to explain it. She'll be there and your aunt will probably be going after her as well. As for when, I guess that's really up to her. But we have some time."

She took in a slow, steady breath, held it for a second, and let it go in one long blast of steam that poured out of her mouth. Shizuru knew she was attempting to steady herself as they walked and she placed a hand on her shoulder to offer support. Natsuki grasped onto it for a second before letting go and taking a look around.

"Alright, no one's around."

They ducked into an alleyway and Natsuki clapped her hands together. A blue light enveloped her and she fell to her knees as her body retreated beneath fur and fangs. Duran shook his head to free his fur of stray ice crystals before looking down at Shizuru. She pulled the hood of her coat over her head when Duran dropped down to the snowy ground. In two seconds she gracefully swung a leg over the wolf and patted him over the shoulders to tell him that she was securely on. Duran straightened and looked around with his lone eye to study the walls of this particular alleyway before centering in on what looked to be a good jumping point. He took a short trot down the length of the alleyway before his muscles surged. Shizuru grasped onto the heavy fur of his shoulders and flattened herself onto him as he pushed off of his paws to leap a good five stories up. All four of his monstrous paws managed to land on a railing before he nimbly skipped off and touched down on another jumping point. He wall-kicked his way back and forth between these alleyways until he touched down on the rooftop, easily fifty stories up in Tokyo's cityscape.

The steam curled up in fine tendrils as it emanated from Duran's body. Shizuru straightened and sat up on the wolf, placing one hand behind her to keep herself balanced on top of this mass of fur and muscle. The wind was stronger in the higher altitude and it knocked her hood away to let her hair fly back. She looked around cautiously before reinforcing her grip on Duran's fur and pulling her hood back on again. The wolf felt those fingers sink into his fur and he took off, taking great lumbering strides that covered the roof of the building in five seconds flat. Duran jumped off the end of the building and easily cleared the gap to the next. His tongue began to loll out as his paws slammed into the snow-covered rooftops, and even Shizuru began to feel his growing exuberance of being able to run free for the first time in a long while. Duran easily made short work of Tokyo in an impressive five minutes of what seemed to be effortless flying off of rooftops. His speed would have been the envy of any sort of public transportation. He finally came to a stop on top of a particular building and deftly jumped down below. He skipped against the wall several times and nearly ran down the length of it but pushed off the last minute to avoid running himself straight to the ground. All four of his paws landed on the fresh snow and he exhaled slowly in a satisfied snort before lowering himself down. Shizuru slid off of the beast and shook the snow from her coat as Duran retreated into Natsuki's body once more.

Natsuki coughed into a gloved fist and straightened her slightly-rumpled suit for a moment.

"Okay... I think I'm ready."

Shizuru nodded and took Natsuki's offered arm as the two of them easily walked out of the alleyway and back into society. The club was only a minute's walk from here and they were let in through the VIP entrance without as much as a blink. After a run through the coat closet to check in their heavy winter coats and Natsuki's jacket, they found themselves following the crowd down to the expansive dance floor. The last time they were in a club, they very nearly died. It seemed that clubs and the couple didn't mix, but there was a time when the two were inseparable. The music was loud and the beat was bumping into their bodies as they very nearly dove into the dance floor due to the momentum of the crowd. Natsuki quietly unbuttoned the cuffs of her shirt and began to roll the sleeves up to her arms as she backed into one of the pillars that rose up from the floor to the ceiling of this underground club. Shizuru followed her and began to move sensually to the music, backing into Natsuki until they touched. They were close, way too close, but the stifling heat of the area and the dancers surrounding them gave a good enough cover. They weren't just moving to the beat of the crowd. Emerald and crimson eyes took stock of the dancers around them and even the elevated VIP sections. There was no threat right now and Shizuru turned so that they were now facing each other.

"You up for some dancing?" she asked.

The surreal request caused Natsuki to grin. They were on the eve of what could be their last night, yet the flashing lights of the club went on as brightly as any other day. Here was their last chance to dive into this secure blanket of normalcy and at least have a little bit of fun before the conflict started up. Besides, they hadn't danced in a long time, and the unspoken challenge in Shizuru's eyes had to be answered as far as Natsuki was concerned.

_You may think we're crazy, but that's the only way to live life for us._

"Sure. Might as well get some dancing done tonight while we have the chance."

Shizuru tugged on her tie and Natsuki allowed herself to walk forward through that leash. She stopped walking as soon as she felt those bare shoulders press against her own as Shizuru pulled the tie over her shoulder.

"Try to keep up, then," Shizuru murmured in her ear as her swaying hips began to establish the rhythm.

The club was awash in blue lights that looked like snow as silver bits of shining confetti began to fall all around them. Her hands trailed down that body and rested right at those enticing hips, just ghosting over the dress as they remained in sync with the movement. Her own body began to respond positively to the commanding rhythm and soon her lips parted through this stifling heat. She took in the smell of alcohol and perfume wafting around them. So many smells ran through her sensitive nose but she focused only on the honeyed hair in front of her. Oh, this was dangerous. The way those hips and that body were moving drove her crazy and brought her tactile senses into overdrive as her fingers trailed down the silken fabric of her dress and played with the asymmetrical hem that started slightly above Shizuru's knees on one side and trailed down the other in a gentle arc. Shizuru's fingertips danced down her bare arms and she held a breath, abruptly turning her around. A playful smile appeared on Natsuki's lips as she shook a finger warningly even when they continued to dance in this same beat.

"That was mean of you," she admonished even as her fingers found their way to Shizuru's lower back. "Getting me all worked up over such a tease. _Ikezu_, my Shizuru."

"Ara... That was quite the nice impression," Shizuru replied cheekily.

"Well?" Her lips were right up against the delicate shell of Shizuru's ear. "Are you gonna fix it?"

She pushed Natsuki against the wall and held onto the front of her shirt with both hands as the song began to die down. Natsuki placed her hands over those fists and grasped onto them as she felt Shizuru's head rest against her shoulder.

"Ah. We'll have to continue this later, then. I guess we really only did have time for one last dance," Natsuki noted softly.

"... It's a shame. Tonight was beautiful, Natsuki."

Natsuki smiled grimly.

"Yeah."

Her arms slowly wrapped around Shizuru, pulling her close and holding her tightly before closing her eyes. The club erupted into a roar of blue and red fire that washed through a decent-sized hole that was seemingly punched through the concrete ceiling of the underground establishment. The sound system became a crackled mockery of itself as wires whipped out in wild arcs and the crowd began to voice their panic in the form of frightened screams. The patrons began to run out in sheer terror but Natsuki merely opened her eyes and stared straight ahead towards the fiery wave of heat and smoke that washed towards them. Her response was to narrow her eyes. Ice crept out from under her feet. It created a sizable pool that then formed a border around the two, snuffing the flames out before they got close enough to pose a discomfort.

"... No holding back," Shizuru said in her ear before she let her go.

Natsuki nodded curtly and stretched her arms above her head.

"Well. Here I go."

The first attack came in the form of a ball of fire racing towards her. She continued to walk forward and idly punched towards the flame. At the last second her fist was encased in ice, extinguishing the flame before it could even attempt to singe her skin. It was still a little hard to breathe in this stifling heat. She loosened her tie and undid the first button of her shirt, stretching out the collar a bit to let in some breathing room. After a moment of no continued attacks, she stopped and looked up. The first thing she saw was the four rings of flame that continuously burned. Accompanying those were the arms and legs followed by the body and most importantly those bloodshot violet eyes. She wondered briefly what had happened to her friend but knew that most of it was probably due to the unstable beast residing beneath her skin. A red scarf was wrapped around her neck. The ends whipped around this way and that in long arcs that complemented her flying nature quite well. All in all, she was going to be a scary adversary. Natsuki sighed in boredom and tucked her hand in her pocket to retrieve her black leather gloves. After pulling them on she placed her hands on her hips and waited for the staring contest to be over.

"Yo, Mai. You're still in there, right?"

Mai looked down with unseeing eyes.

"_**Wolf...**_"

Natsuki shrugged her shoulders at the grating noise. So they were even further along in integrating into one individual after all.

"Never mind. Let me try this again." She waved. "Yo, Kagutsuchi."

When Mai let loose a snort it carried a jet of fire out. Natsuki let out a low whistle in response and her breath misted into frost as she did so.

"_**I have the advantage here**_," Kagutsuchi remarked as his gravely voice spilled out from Mai's moving lips. "_**Stand down.**_"

"I'd like to. But I can't let you go running around like this." Natsuki sniffed slightly. "I suppose you're not going to sit around idly either."

"_**Kiyohime will be joining us soon, but I will take care of you by then.**_" A barely-contained sneer spread across Mai's mouth. "_**You won't stop me from achieving my goal.**_"

"Oh? And what's that?"

Natsuki should have been shaking in her shoes. Here was a creature who readily commanded fires hot enough to turn her to ash in three seconds. She wouldn't last five minutes against this raging beast masquerading as her best friend. But she merely tucked one hand in her pocket and shifted into a more relaxed position as she stared up at Mai. What a day to die. She had eaten the best meal she had in over a year, went dancing in a fine establishment that was now crumbling to dust, and now she was going to go through the fight of her life. All things considered, she figured it all came to about even. If today was the day, so be it. She wasn't afraid.

Then came a mocking laugh from Mai and she raised an eyebrow in response.

"_**Don't tell me you don't feel these strings of fate pulling us closer and closer to perfection. You can sit on your haunches and wait on your mistress like the dog you are, but I will not let this opportunity escape me for another three centuries. You have felt these tides of fate draw in and out over the ages, Duran. Do not tell me that you aren't affected.**_"

"Perfection?" Natsuki narrowed her eyes. "Are you talking about this influx of power?"

"_**Precisely. With it, I could do anything. I could raise this world up to the heavens, or I could crush it with my own fist.**_" Mai brought her slack hand into a tight fist. "_**I will not let you get in the way of this.**_"

_The world was beautiful, once._

Natsuki felt the snatches of memory tickle down her mind as she sighed once more.

"You want to make the world beautiful again, huh." She smiled. "Well, I'm sorry. I can't allow that anymore."

Mai's eyes flickered for a second and she thought she saw them come back to life. Suddenly the expression on Mai's face shifted from surprise to outright anger as she reared one hand back. The ring around that wrist brightened and spun even faster as a white-hot flame began to form in front of her palm.

"_**Then die!!**_"

Natsuki tensed and brought both of her arms up, locking her forearms against one another to form a protective X in front of her chest and head. The fireball connected into a shield of ice that drew up in front of her. The two forces began to battle for supremacy. Which would fall first—the impossibly hot flame or the incomparably cold ice? Natsuki breathed out slowly and suddenly broke her guard, flinging her arms down so that they ended up on either side of her. This caused the wall of ice to break due to an unseen force, swallowing up the flame and snuffing it out while at the same time shooting enormous shards of ice towards Mai. Mai through her hands up and blocked them with the fire rings swirling around her wrists, but her expression contained mild curiosity at this new development.

"_**You've improved.**_"

"Well, it's in bad taste to show off everything you can do on the first try," Natsuki remarked.

In actuality Natsuki had the advantage of the cold climate aiding her. The fierce winter winds blew in through the convenient hole Mai had made, bringing in a good amount of snow and enough natural cold to supplement her abilities and help put a damper on the fires. With that in mind she set herself up for a purely defensive sort of fight. Kagutsuchi had enough stamina to overrun her but with the climate advantage it would only be a matter of time before those blue fires around Mai turned into a more manageable shade of orange. The first thing she had to do was neutralize anything Kagutsuchi could use to his advantage, and for that she centered on the well-stocked bar. Mai aimed a hand towards that bar and let loose with a massive ball of flame.

Natsuki was tossed into the air by the following explosion as the alcohol caught fire and the glasses exploded due to the pressure. Before she could fall into that dire mess she drew herself upright in mid air and brought her hands out in front of her in one strong, fluid push. The hole behind Mai caved in even more as a strong gust of blizzard-like winds washed past her and centered underneath Natsuki's feet. This snow built and built, forming a hard block of ice and providing the foundation for a pathway. She slid back and directed this growing path into a sort of half-pipe that took her sliding on her feet and landing a safe ways away from the mess. She stared down at her hands and frowned. She had never been able to do that, before.

**Focus, and it will be possible.**

She blinked at Duran's command but had little time to ponder over it as a rain of fire spewed out towards her. She took off running and neatly kicked off the wall, bringing her gloved hands out in a wide arc. This caused a shield of ice that extended outwards, checking the fire rain and diminishing it as the shield melted into water. Mai's body was drenched by this downpour and the droplets fizzled into steam as they hit the fire rings keeping her afloat. Natsuki hurriedly backed away to avoid some of the fizzling fires as they hit the ground.

"Ack!"

She took a second to stomp away the fires before turning up to face Mai once more.

"That could've ruined my shoes," she said while shaking her fist half-heartedly.

Mai offered what looked to be a semi-contrite smile in response.

"_**I apologize.**_"

The sarcasm was not missed even with the misplaced voice. Natsuki clapped her hands together and spread them out wide. The ice gathered at her fingertips and began to form some sort of shape as it spun rapidly in front of her open palms. After a second the ice stopped spinning to form two identical guns made out of clear ice. She gripped these guns and brought them up towards Mai.

"Bang," she muttered.

She slammed her fingers on the "triggers." Instead of bullets the guns fired off their barrels which then grew into lighting-fast shards of ice, each easily large enough to tear Mai's body apart. Mai closed her eyes and dodged one bullet, knocking the other away while the "guns" regenerated, replacing the barrels with even more ice in their reload. Natsuki tapped the guns together and grinned. Alright, this was going to be a fair enough fight.

Then the club began to rumble again but the two disregarded this in favor of attempting to run each other to the ground with fire and ice punching each other out in a deadly stalemate. But Shizuru's wary eyes saw and she turned her attention out towards this new development. Another hole was punched through this establishment, this one being formed out of an oozing poison that burned through everything it touched. Within this smaller hole stepped in Kyoko Marguerite accompanied by the cause for Kagutsuchi's initial ire. Shizuru narrowed her eyes.

"... Smith."

She looked around and spotted what looked to be a corridor that led down to the cleaning supply closet in the club. After some quick searching she spotted a contractor's broom, a large sweeping instrument with a long wooden pole. She studied this item for a second before taking off her heels. She brought the broom up and smashed the end of it against the concrete wall, effectively bashing it apart and making it useless save for the pole portion of it. It had enough weight to it so it would not fly out of her hands if she spun it. That was good enough for now.

Kyoko turned a critical eye towards the dueling two before facing Smith.

"If I take them both out in one hit, then our agreement stands," she muttered.

He adjusted his glasses and smiled.

"Indeed, if you manage to do so."

Kyoko threw him a level look before readying herself. Those silver eyes morphed into a snake's eyes as she glared at the two and brought her hands up to perform the finishing blow. In what seemed to be a split second later she felt her hands get knocked out alignment by a blunt, heavy object. She turned and took in the stern crimson eyes of her niece standing in front of her with a wooden rod in her hand. Kyoko stared at her for a moment, unsure of what to do. Smith was yelling something at her but she tuned it out in favor of staring at the sheer determination in Shizuru's eyes. Angrily she pushed past Smith and faced Shizuru.

"What on earth do you think you are doing?" she hissed.

"Attacking you, it would seem," Shizuru replied.

A close blast of heat washed over her, causing her hair to fly in different directions and her eyes to respond to the red glow of the fires criss-crossing around her. Kyoko watched as her niece easily brought the broken pole in front of her as if it were the same as any other ornate weapon capable of taking her down. She would have laughed at the absurdity of it if it weren't for those eyes.

"You would fight your own blood?" Kyoko inquired with a tilt of her head. "You have no powers and you will not last against Kiyohime."

"If it comes to that, then yes. I suppose I will fight my own blood."

Shizuru spun the rod over her head before whipping it out in front of her.

"We don't have time for this," Smith interjected. "The gates of Valhalla will not wait for some petty family rivalry—"

"Shut your mouth!" Kyoko snapped. "You have no say in this!"

She turned towards Shizuru and offered her a tight-lipped smile.

"If it is a fight you want, dearest child... _then you will have it_!"

Shizuru wondered when she was gifted with this sudden sense of recklessness. Kyoko Marguerite was one of the most gifted users of a weapon called the chain whip. This heavy weapon was merely a chain-connected set of heavy iron bars. It was flexible enough to be cracked around like a whip yet sturdy enough to break bones and bash skulls in. Most of the time chain whips contained a pointed end that would be used as a stabbing point. This particular one could easily be coated some sort of poison, and Shizuru didn't doubt that this would be the case. Kyoko drew the weapon and snapped it into place as she faced Shizuru, who still stayed in a ready position with the pole out in front. She knew she was at a direct disadvantage when using a long weapon against something like a chain whip, but there was no other option available.

Kyoko flicked her wrist and the whip began its dance of destruction towards Shizuru who managed to knock the deadly dart away. The whip rebounded and one of the lengths managed to smack heavily onto her forearm, causing the limb to seize with the shock of being hit. Shizuru flicked her arm out and attempted to massage some feeling back into it, bringing her weapon up just in time to deflect another strike. The rod whipped up and around as she spun and flicked her wrists to get the rod moving in a quick circle to knock the whip's trajectory out of her way. Halfway during this spin the whip managed to wrap around the center of the rod and they stood in a deadlock that was quickly decided when Kyoko yanked her weapon back. The rod broke into two smaller halves, one for each hand. Shizuru breathed out in mild frustration as she fixed her grip on the two ends and tapped the sticks together before whipping them out in quick circles. When the next crack of the chain whip came she knocked the dart end with a decisive smack before spinning and getting close enough to graze Kyoko's cheek with the splintered end of the half-rod. Those crimson eyes lit up at the minor point but soon that expression turned into alarm as she felt something rip towards her. She brought the two sticks up into an X as the pointed end of the chain whip stuck right into the center of the crossed sticks. The sticks cracked and finally shattered under the pressure, leaving Shizuru without a weapon and now looking into the triumphant silver eyes of her aunt.

_Oh... crap._

Shizuru let go of the splinters in her hands and pat her hands together to clap them free of sawdust. Kyoko ran several fingers across the line oozing blood down her cheek. She stared at the coppery blood for a second before smiling.

"So I still bleed. How fortunate." The pointed end of the chain whip hit the floor for a second as she paused. "However, I'm afraid your dance is coming at an end."

Natsuki shoved Mai away from her and took one fleeting look back towards the ground.

The whip cracked once more as Kyoko raised it high above her head, intent on using this momentum to bring the pointed end crashing into Shizuru's skull. Before it could hit, however, a hand grasped onto the chain link before the end. The hand closed over in a tight grip, further restricting movement, and the two looked over with varying expressions of shock at the newcomer. Mikoto offered a mild smile in response to the flabbergasted looks as a hail of ice and fire showered over them. Behind her stood a man with a rather grim expression on his face.

"Otou-han?"

Shigeru offered a slight smile in Shizuru's direction but he kept his gaze solely on his sister who at this time was staring at him like he was an apparition from the underworld. He moved his neck from side to side and took off his driving cap, tossing it behind his shoulder in one haphazard motion.

"Now... You didn't think I'd be letting you have so much fun by yourself, did you?" he asked in a dangerously soft voice.

Kyoko took a step back when he took one forward. His eyes were not the kind maple-red shade anymore. Instead they took on a rather frightful blood-red glow as he slowly undid the buttons of his coat. The coat slid from his shoulders and he undid his cuff links, rolling the sleeves of his shirt up after pocketing the silver links.

"It ends here," he declared.

"... You wouldn't last ten seconds against Kiyohime," Kyoko spat.

"Do you think you could honestly hold me back?" Shigeru countered with a raised eyebrow. "I know I'm not going to be able to, not until I'm through with your Kiyohime."

It had all the makings for a successful turnover, but then came the surprised cry from Reito that caused them to run and look at him. His eyes were fixed towards the ceiling at the stalemate between the two battling scions of ice and fire. Reito looked up at Mai and for a second his heart stopped. This painful feeling caused him to paw at his chest yet he failed to unlock his eyes from that fiery queen of hell fighting above him. Shizuru stared at him with her lips slightly parted from her earlier exertions and her current confusion over this similar feeling in her own heart.

_No..._

"No!!"

Mai's true voice rang out as she suddenly grasped onto her head with her hands. Natsuki panted as she crouched on the dance floor, grasping onto her arm as she attempted to collect herself. Dimly she was aware of the new arrivals into their sordid battle but her eyes were focused solely on Mai as she finally struggled with Kagutsuchi for dominance.

"Not again," Mai whispered. "Not again..."

Her eyes flickered in and out of focus until finally her body stilled and she let go of her head. For a hopeful second Natsuki wondered if Mai had won, but then those violet eyes turned into a most frightful shade of green that spread even to the whites.

Shizuru shoved Reito down onto the ground as Mai rocketed towards them with an unearthly speed. Shizuru looked up into those green eyes and for a second she was sure that those flame-tipped claws fashioned from Mai's own fingers would find their home in her own stomach. Indeed, the tips grazed her midsection and she felt that white-hot pain for only a second. This feeling of pain stopped, however, as she saw dark fur fly out towards her along with blood that was not hers.

Duran let out a surprised wheeze as he slowly but surely retracted due to the sudden influx of pain despite trying to shoulder most of the blow for his medium. Kagustuchi's eyes remained unresponsive and the fiery claw remained embedded into the human form. But Natsuki simply clamped her hands around Mai's wrist even as those claws buried themselves even deeper into her when she pulled herself forward. She grasped onto that red scarf and reared her other fist back, crashing it into the side of Mai's jaw. This sent Mai careening into the floor and bouncing several times before finally settling down on solid ground for the first time in a while. Natsuki slid off those claws with a pained grunt as she flew through the air in the opposite direction. She finally slid to a stop on the cold ground as well.

... _So this is how it will end._

For the first time, this was not a comfortable cold that she felt underneath her. Ice was never something she was afraid of even before she met Duran, but now her fingertips felt numb and she failed to restore warmth to them despite the overabundance of warmth near her stomach. The fears from earlier tried to return to combat the sluggish acceptance pouring down from her defeated self. No, she couldn't die here. She wasn't supposed to die here. Her eyes narrowed even as her breathing grew dangerously shallow.

_No... one more time. _

Her hand turned and her gloved fingertips shakily gripped the ground. But the blood made it slippery and her breathing became labored as a thick coppery taste filled her mouth.

_Try one more time, damn it!_

She struggled mightily, managing to get up onto her elbows before her arms gave out on her and she fell right back to that frightening cold.

_Shit..._

It was growing quiet, now. She managed to let out a hoarse noise of frustration before her body went completely still and the light dimmed in her good eye, finally matching up to its pair after a year apart.

There was silence, accompanied only by the crackling flames.

Shigeru stared at the body of a girl he had come to think of as his own child. With shaking hands he remembered those emerald eyes as they stared into him, the punches they exchanged in that lonely park when he couldn't talk away her sullen mood, and the promise she earnestly meant to keep in his stead. She had her back pushed against the wall and she fought back just as hard as he would have, but now it seemed that all her efforts were all in vain. He nearly wanted to just smash whatever was in front of him but his limbs were curiously unresponsive as he continued to just stand and stare in mild shock. Was this the price to pay for their impudence? He saw movement out the corner of his eye and turned to register his only child as she too stared at the fallen body.

_We are cursed... because in the end, everything will amount to nothing._

Shizuru fell to her knees. She stared at Natsuki even as Reito quickly got up and tried to direct her gaze away from her. She was injured, she was losing blood at an alarming pace. She wasn't going to last long if she sat there, staring at the ripped remains of her heart laying there after fighting right down to her last breath... just like how Natsuki would have wanted it.

_Today is a good day to die._

No. Natsuki didn't want this. Not right here and most certainly not right now. This wasn't happening. The burning mess at the base of her heart was not from losing her most important person. She wasn't dead. She was going to get up, stomp everyone who had done them wrong to the ground, and live on with those fierce eyes and a ready smirk. Forever, and ever. Shaking fingers pressed against her bleeding stomach until finally all she could utter was a hoarse scream of pain that seemed louder than it really was due to the silence surrounding it. Another followed it, then another, until all she could do was sit there on her knees and _scream_.

* * *

_Today is a good day to die._

_They say that, you know, but they never mean it._

_When they say that today is a good day to die, all they really want to do is survive to see another good day._

* * *

AN: My media player went from Britney Spears' "Get back" to Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings.

It's quiet, now. Stay tuned, though. The volume may pick back up again.

As for who was saying/thinking the last section, I'll leave it up to the readers to decide.

Cheers.


	20. Winter's Road

Good afternoon, author here. Thanks for your reviews.

Not much to mention up here, but I apologize for the uncharacteristic wait.

Mai-hime belongs to Sunrise

* * *

**Winter's Road**

She opened her eyes to see nothing but white.

_Have I gone blind?_

_No. Then I'd be seeing black. Seeing..._

She lifted her head and sat up. The ground felt like simple powder beneath her fingertips.

_Where am I?_

The sky and the ground were both white, at least she thought that was what it was. She wasn't even sure if there was a sky or a ground, but up was still up and down was still down in the back of her mind and she shakily stood up to her feet. She turned to get a full view of her surroundings but that yielded little progress when no landmarks were visible from where she was. With a frustrated groan she simply sat back down and crossed her arms, shutting her eyes and frowning. When she tilted back far enough, her body followed the course of gravity and fell back towards the ground.

_Useless... _

_I guess it's no use to see if I can get out of here._

As soon as she thought that, she was alerted to the faint noise of something playing in the distance. With a soft frown she stood up and brushed the powdery substance off of her pants. Where had that come from? Her eyes were still closed but her ears were more than able to pick up the noise once more, and it came from her left. She turned sharply and began to walk in that distance. Of course, there was something in the back of her mind that told her that maybe this wasn't really the way to go, but she pushed it down in light of the vast nothingness she was sitting through just a minute before. Anywhere was better than there.

_Where are you?_

She didn't have too far to walk, for soon she spotted what looked to be a tiny wooden building. This building grew a little more when she approached it and soon she recognized it as being some sort of small cottage.

_... Imagine that._

She paused and poked around briefly but found nothing of the noise that she had heard earlier. With a sigh of mild disappointment she turned to look back at where she had walked in from and remained unimpressed as she viewed nothing but white. And really, what was the use of going back anyway?

_No way forward, no way back. _

_Feels a lot like suicide, at this rate._

Then the sound started again and she stopped her thoughts in favor of looking back towards the cottage. With cautious hands she slid open the lone door and let it go as she stepped in. A blast of warmth washed over her and she shivered unconsciously before squinting. Seated before her was a woman wrapped in exotic silks. Her hair was down in long waves of rich mahogany brown. The woman's eyes were closed but her fingers plucked through her instrument with practiced ease. Soon the song came to an end and she rested her fingers against the taut strings of the enormous _koto_ placed in front of her. The zither-like instrument grew silent as she pressed her fingertips against the strings to still them. The woman finally opened her eyes and blinked. She could see the ocean in them quite clearly despite the strangeness of the thin pupils that focused on her.

_Kind eyes but a serious expression._

_Where have I seen this before?_

"You've come a bit early," the woman announced. She tilted her head. "But it can't be helped... can it?"

The woman smiled, then, and she knew who she was looking at.

_Kiyohime._

_Or rather, Kiyo. Just Kiyo._

"You are astute as well, considering I am not the Kiyohime under Kyoko's control. I like that."

Kiyo tucked one of her hands in the sleeve of her kimono and extracted a fan. With a flick of her fingers the fan drew open with a bright red flash of thick paper.

_Am I dead?_

"I wouldn't say that. This is a world of in-betweens. No one is quite dead, nor are they quite alive." Kiyo took a moment to wave the fan and she could smell the fragrant paper from where she stood. "So you are not dead. But you are not alive. This is where those like us reside, those like your Duran."

The fan stilled.

"The borders of this world are faint and we do not follow them. Because of this loose grasp the world had over us, we are capable of doing what we please. These powers of yours are a mere fraction of what we can bestow."

She pressed her fingers against the wooden wall and felt the wood grain beneath her fingertips. The heightened sensitivity was unnerving but she held on until she habituated to the individual grooves.

"But this is interesting. I did not expect to meet you here."

Kiyo gently swept a finger across one of the strings of her instrument. The sound tickled her ears and she shrugged her shoulders tightly to get rid of the itching sensation that came along with the noise.

_Then why are you here?_

Kiyo offered a rueful smile.

"I am not permitted to leave. Not until this cycle is finished."

_Cycle..._

_When everyone except one is defeated?_

"When that happens, the gates will open. Those of us who are defeated will be permitted to leave, and the winner will remain here."

She frowned at Kiyo's explanation.

_Doesn't sound fun._

The clear, bell-like laughter pulled at her heartstrings. It reminded her of things, of times spent under the sun with a girl who looked so much like this woman sitting before her now. Where was she now? How was she doing? She wondered about it absently but not apathetically. Something stirred in her heart and she absently palmed the immediate area of her chest above her heart with one hand.

"Of course not. But the purpose was never to win this contest. The purpose, child, is to persevere."

_To persevere._

"This Carnival... would have ended long ago if these girls were taught that lesson first. The spirit who wins here will stay here for three hundred years, until the next cycle awakens and the gates open once more. But the cause is never dealt with, and the cycle will repeat."

Kiyo looked out into the distance.

"I wonder..." Kiyo paused and shook her head with a sad smile. "Well, I wouldn't know. But I suppose there is someone else here who might be able to help you."

She blinked in mild confusion but Kiyo merely pointed out towards the distance.

"Follow that direction until the land turns to snow. You will have one chance before the gates close once more."

She looked over towards the distance and took in a deep breath. Kiyo watched her briefly before letting out a small hum.

"... How is my daughter?"

_She's the most beautiful girl in the world. _

Kiyo nodded and sighed in content.

"One more thing."

She paused over the threshold.

"Tell my husband that he's forty years too early to be wishing for death."

She turned and saw those eyes sparkle in fondness and amusement before she found herself being pushed out due to an unseen force. She landed back several feet away and the door to the cottage closed once more. She stood and dusted herself off once more before sighing and staring out at the distance.

_Alone, again_.

She began to walk.

_What a lonely road._

* * *

Where was their hero now?

John Smith knew. She was there, curled up into herself, her eyes unresponsive to the world around her. Their hero was no more, and that was just fine for him. His path to Valhalla was set. He nearly wet himself in the sheer excitement over this prospect. Never had the road to victory been so easy. He had dedicated his entire life to this and it was time for him to reap the bloodied crop he had sown. Personally it did not matter which one of the two remaining combatants won this fight as long as Duran was the first to fall. The others, at least, were easier to manage. They didn't hold the blind loyalty Duran held. Smith adjusted his glasses and stood still, separate from the shell-shocked group and the now stiff and unresponsive young woman was still on her knees, staring out at their fallen hero with impossibly wide eyes.

What was she going to do?

He had read about her abilities as a mediator, once, but dismissed it in light of the circumstance. No such thing existed in prior Carnivals, so the point was moot. No one could stop this power that was now gathered around the remaining two. No one, not even a god could stop him now.

What was Shizuru going to do?

She stood up.

It was slow, agonizingly slow, but she stood up. No one was quite sure what to do or say in this circumstance but Shizuru did the work for them when she turned and directed her blood-red gaze over towards her aunt. Kyoko took in those hollow eyes and unconsciously swallowed but felt somewhat relieved when Shizuru's gaze then settled towards Mai. Those expressionless eyes took in the picture as Mai slowly struggled up to her feet. The rings of fire were sputtering but eventually they began to take on their previous vigor as Kagutsuchi's green eyes reappeared. They roved across the devastation before picking out the fallen body of Duran's medium. Those eyes seemingly lit up and Mai began to float in the air. After a couple of minutes, however, the expression on Mai's face twisted to one of confusion and suddenly her hands grasped onto her head.

"_**Why isn't there any power?**_" Mai gaped at Natsuki's body before facing the silent onlookers. "_**I have defeated her in battle, have I not? Why isn't there any exchange in power!**_"

Kagutsuchi let loose a mighty roar of frustration and accompanying it were several flares of blue flame that shot out around Mai. Smith let out an audible gasp at those words. This wasn't right at all. As soon as a champion was defeated, their powers would transfer immediately onto the winner. Was she not dead? No, that couldn't be the case. She took five claws to the stomach, she had to be dead. Smith tried to swallow through his mysteriously dry throat.

"Im... Impossible!"

Shizuru raised a hand through the ensuing ruckus.

"All of you... _Stop_."

At this spoken command everyone curiously went silent. Kyoko felt something lurch in her heart and she fell to her knees with a surprised noise, catching Shigeru's attention and drawing it away from his daughter. He looked down at Kyoko's twitching body, noticing that her hands were smashing up against her chest in some attempt to stifle an attack. He knew where he had seen this before. There was only one time that fit, back in the mansion when they were children and he hadn't known any better. This time, however, he wasn't going to run away. Shigeru stood beside his sister and laid a hand on her shoulder, making her stiffen at the contact.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked as she looked up.

"I feel like... I feel like I'm being torn apart," she stammered out before letting loose a pained cry.

Her body went limp before something glowed from her chest. It was tiny at first, only a mere spot of light, but soon it began to grow and grow into an orb the size of Shigeru's clenched fist. It drew itself away from Kyoko's body in one slow motion as it rotated and gathered up even more of the same light. For a second it merely floated there before it found its destination. This orb of light flew towards Shizuru's outstretched hand, gathering around her fingertips before resting on her open palm. The air around them seemed especially heavy, carrying with it an electrical charge that caused the hair on the backs of their necks to stand on end. She closed her hand around this orb of light and lightning crackled around her fist before jumping out to either side of her hand. This lightning branched out, stretching the orb of light into forming a long rod with a wicked blade at the end. She flicked this weapon over her shoulder and rested it on her left shoulder with her left hand stretched up to hold the rod while her right hand rested against the junction between rod and blade.

"... Kiyohime."

The ground beneath them rumbled in response to her quiet call. Trails of broken cement and ground cracked underneath their feet, followed closely by a long, harsh blast of winter's wind. The rumbling stopped for a second, and all that was heard was the still silence. Then the ground erupted as writhing scales of deep purple flashed through the falling rubble. This was not Kyoko's Kiyohime, Shigeru realized with a jolt. This was a queen of serpents. This serpent possessed strikingly beautiful aquamarine eyes that she used to stare down a cautious Mai who in turn rose up to the sky.

"_**... Impressive. This will be a good final battle.**_"

Mai clapped her hands together before spreading them wide. Another roar resounded but this time it came from deep within. A portal of light spun into place in front of Mai and she arched her back as a sword began to dig itself out of the portal, followed closely by a monstrous creature of white with flames as its wings. The dragon unfurled its wings, sending a rain of hellfire down when it shrieked in anticipation. This was Kagutsuchi's true form, but even with his emergence the green possession still retained itself over Mai's eyes. This was just as well for Shizuru who flicked her weapon up and spun it before bringing it in front of her. If it was a fight they wanted, then they would get it.

Kiyohime bared her fangs and hissed, letting loose a jet of acid that Kagutsuchi barely avoided. The ceiling behind him was not as fortunate. Kagutsuchi looked over his shoulder briefly with all of its eyes before turning and studying those unblinking eyes of Kiyohime. He roared out with a flamethrower aimed for her face but Kiyohime merely knocked it away with a flick of her tail. It was then that he noticed the impressive length of her body. She was only ever up a third of her body length, affording her a decent reach and impressive speed if she were to ever strike at him outright. Kagutsuchi had the mobility the air provided him but if he was ever knocked down, it would be all over. One bite of those fangs would finish him, but Kiyohime wasn't invincible herself. He took off for the skies with Kiyohime following him with another deluge of acid.

Mai charged Shizuru first with those flaming wheels but Shizuru blocked with a swipe of her naginata and followed through with another strike that Mai managed to block by crossing her arms together. Mai floated away and punched out a ball of flame that caught the naginata's blade and engulfed it in fire. Shizuru seemingly paused but she brought the naginata around in a full spin up and over her, keeping the flame burning through this spin. Her bare feet skipped across the rubble beneath her as she twirled and suddenly flicked the ball of flame back towards Mai. Mai backhanded the flame away but she panted as she floated in place while Shizuru calmly brought the naginata to rest. She was exhausted and wouldn't last much longer against a fresh opponent. Kagutsuchi would only last long enough when he was attempting to move around outside of her body. This was incredibly risky, but with risk came possible reward. Shizuru's wounds had yet to stop bleeding completely. This was going to be a one-shot kill, then. Mai brought her hands high above her and with an unearthly roar brought them down, summoning a wave of fire that washed over everything in its path as it raced towards Shizuru. Instead of running away Shizuru quickly cut into the concrete with her weapon before knocking the blunt end of her weapon into the cuts. This flipped up a section of concrete and earth up into an angle and she knelt behind it, feeling the flames churn around her and in front of her when the concrete finally took the brunt of the blast.

When the flames receded, something shot out from the aftermath and latched around Mai. She felt the cutting edge of the naginata tear into her arms as the chained blade snaked around her and tightened. Shizuru's eyes spoke of a bloody death as she stepped out from her protective barrier and Mai fell to her knees in exhaustion. The chains loosened and retracted back into a singular blade but Mai was far from free—the cold edge dripping with her own blood rested easily on the back of her neck. Shizuru stood before her with lidded eyes.

"... Do it," she whispered.

Shizuru paused upon hearing Mai's true voice resurface. Those eyes were now returning to their violet normalcy, and tears had started to stream down her ash-covered cheeks as she stared at the body tucked away in the corner.

"Shizuru!!"

Shizuru looked up to register her father standing a little ways away. Her grip on her weapon twitched for a second.

This had been more than thirty years in the making, and the results of their half-hearted games and struggles now came down to watching his daughter preparing to perform an execution, a wrong action for all of the right reasons. This would have been too much to take in for most parents but Fujino Shigeru was not someone easily deterred by abnormalities. He wasn't going to be afraid now, not when his child was breaking apart in front of him in a blaze of fire and death. Kagutsuchi tucked in his wings and landed with a pronounced smash of limbs onto concrete. He opened his jaws and screamed before gathering his flames in for one blast towards them all. Take everyone out. It didn't matter if his medium survived. Shizuru didn't bother to turn as she felt the approaching heat. She only watched her father's eyes, and marveled briefly at the flame-dipped glow as they stared at her eyes.

They were going to die. Somehow that sentiment didn't bring out as much panic as she would have thought. But not all of them intended on dying right this minute. Kyoko looked out towards her brother and her heart began to beat faster. She wasn't going to let him die, not if she still had the power to keep him alive.

"Kiyohime!!"

Kyoko threw a hand up and her silver eyes flashed in one last recognition of control over her former spirit. Kiyohime's eyes flashed, registering the call. The serpent coiled itself around them in one great shift of scales, forming a protective dome that encased all of them in this dark and soundless prison. There came a pained hiss from Kiyohime as she took the brunt of the flames, followed by even more pained cries as Kagutsuchi let loose a furious bellow and took to clawing at her body. The enormous serpent began to glow with a soft green light just as Kagutsuchi's hand pushed through. Before Kiyohime could completely shatter, however, the serpent looked down at Shizuru and nudged her gently with the tip of her nose. Kiyohime closed her eyes and seemingly nodded to herself before succumbing to the excruciating pain. Millions of soft green lights washed out from the rapidly-decaying body and Kyoko dropped to her knees once more, shutting her eyes. Shigeru wordlessly stood beside her with the singed tips of his hair emitting some smoke in the aftermath of Kagutsuchi's relentless attack.

"... You saved us," he muttered through Kagutsuchi's triumphant roar.

"What does it matter?" Kyoko whispered harshly. "I've only delayed the inevitable."

"... Indeed, you have."

The two turned at the mild voice. Mai's eyelids fluttered shut and she fell backwards into Reito's waiting arms as Shizuru and Mikoto stood in front of them. Smith stared at them with a calm expression with lips that soon twisted into a satisfied smile.

"A fine effort by all of you. But I am afraid that it won't be enough to prevent what is going to happen now." Smith turned his gaze over towards Kagutsuchi. "And so, there is one. A pity, really. I thought that Kiyohime would have won this round easily."

"What are you planning on doing?" Shigeru demanded.

"Me?" Smith offered a laugh. "I am merely an observer to these increasingly unstable events. But this is an opportunity of a lifetime, if I may say so myself. It only comes once everyone three hundred years, you know."

"Shut up about that nonsense," Shigeru barked, jabbing a finger towards Smith. "Those stories were lies, bent on giving up our legacies to the sick amusement of people like you!"

"Perhaps... But the power is very real." Smith turned. "Isn't it? So it's too late for you, now. The clock has struck, and the doors to Valhalla will now open."

_The gates._

Was this the end of the world for them?

Kagutsuchi sneered as he reared up to his hind legs and glared down at everyone. Smith gave him an unimpressed stare.

"Oh, you know you won't be going very far at all, Kagutsuchi. After all, you are still partially sealed," he pointed out with a lazy wave.

This beast, this towering beast of flame and razor-sharp claws, grew completely silent. Now it was Smith who laughed in his face as he strode up to him with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Do you see, now? Your battle is not over yet, Kagutsuchi, for you will have to fight one more adversary."

_**What does it matter? I have beaten the others and have their power.**_

"No, no. You are too naïve! This isn't your peer, Kagutsuchi! You are merely a child playing amongst ants compared to this amount of power."

Smith adjusted his glasses nonchalantly when Kagutsuchi snorted a blast of flame dangerously close to him. The ground began to rumble once more and they exchanged varying degrees of nervous glances towards one another. Maybe the world really was going to end. Mikoto's box began to wobble in response from where it had been left behind. After a few dangerous teeters the box slammed onto the ground and began to slide towards them in a frightening speed, stopping short of slamming into their feet. The latches seemingly undid themselves and they watched as the box slowly opened.

The box's insides were covered in deep red silk that cushioned the precious item within. This was a sword, a mighty claymore fashioned in black. The sword was easily past Mikoto's height and briefly they wondered how she could have carried something like this around with her so easily. The blade of the sword shuddered violently before the sword suddenly shot upright onto the tip of its blade. It rotated slowly in this position until Mikoto stepped forward. Her fingers curled around the hilt and she easily grasped onto the sword with both hands. The power surged in her hands and she looked up in warning.

"Something's coming."

As soon as she spoke those words the rumbling ceased once more. Even Kagutsuchi seemed to be on guard as the dragon took to the skies once more with his flame wings. Shigeru had been in the middle of using his shirt as a bandage to wrap around his daughter's midsection when the first signs of something being terribly wrong struck him. He placed a protective hand on the finished bandage and turned to look over at Smith who had yet to react to this strange rumbling. The man threw his head back in raucous laughter that shook their ear drums and caused their bodies to grow cold. His glasses flew from his face and he looked down at them again with eyes the color of blood. They realized that it was his eyes bleeding and not an actual pigmentation difference, but this realization only served to unnerve them even more when Smith started to laugh once more.

"Witness your destruction in the face of true power!!"

The light was especially blinding and they tried their best to clamp their hands over their eyes to save them. Smith could have cared less. He stared at this oncoming spectacle of sheer blinding light even as he felt himself go blind in the process. It didn't matter. This was a once in a lifetime event, he wouldn't need to have eyes after seeing this. He was going to look into the realm of the gods, into this Valhalla of his dreams. This was the fruit of all of his work and the sacrifices he had made never tasted so sweet. At least, this was his last thought before something stabbed into his chest, followed soon by countless more feelings of being stabbed and skewered. He was blinded now, and could see nothing of the spikes that stabbed into his body. But he could feel the pain and his mouth opened in a soundless gasp that soon was overtaken by a blood-curling scream. Even this was eventually snuffed out by even more spikes until only silence entered the ears of the rest. The light appeared to dim a little and Shizuru took a chance. Her eyes opened just a crack and she winced through the still-bright scenery but managed to open her eyes to the point where she could at least make out what was happening again.

The sword in Mikoto's hands was glowing an angry red and the girl struggled to hold onto it.

"Another wave!" she yelled out warningly.

Another set of spikes, then. But Mikoto began to turn in place with the tip of the sword drawing a line on the ground. Sparks formed as the sword contacted the ground. When she drew a complete circle she slammed the sword down. This caused the ground to open up as spikes began to drill their way up to the surface. This seemed to negate the spikes that threatened to skewer them, and soon it became comfortable enough for everyone to open their eyes. Shizuru drew in a short breath and exhaled. There were only two of them who could stand a chance if she didn't count the maverick Kagutsuchi. And by chance, she really meant that they would last more than ten seconds against whatever it was that summoned all those spikes. This was a crude estimate but there was nothing else going for them at the moment. They could run away and buy some time for a miracle that really wasn't going to happen, but Shizuru was through with running. She brought the naginata and stepped up in a firm stance.

"Otou-han... Take them outside," she muttered.

Shigeru narrowed his eyes.

"I refuse. I'm not going to leave you here."

"Then you will die along with everyone else."

"But you will die if you stay here!" Shigeru rubbed his forehead in agitation before his shoulders sank in acceptance. "... We won't survive, either way."

Shizuru smiled grimly but he failed to see it. He could only make out the flaxen hair flying out and the weapon held at her side in a casual yet determined pose.

"Otou-han, you are going to live forever. Remember?"

She began to walk forward with the naginata slung over her shoulders. Shigeru watched her go without blinking before he finally tore his gaze away from her. Mikoto began to run forward to join her but was stopped when Reito placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Mikoto, you have to watch over Mai," he ordered in a firm voice.

"But—"

"Don't worry." Reito offered his best smile. "We'll be back. But you have to do this for me, do you understand?"

Mikoto's troubled expression soon turned into a determined one as she nodded and passed the claymore over to Reito. When Reito tested it with a quick swing he found the blade to be lighter than he had initially guessed. With a curt nod he walked after Shizuru and towards the blinding light. They paused for a moment when they heard the distinctive sound of flames crackling in the distance. The dragon raced past them without looking back. He beat his wings once and flew towards these supposed gates of Valhalla, most likely incensed from Smith's parting comment. Shizuru and Reito watched him go quietly before Shizuru rested the tip of her naginata onto the ground.

"... You know, I haven't the faintest idea what we're fighting for," Shizuru said finally.

"Neither do I. Perhaps we'll just enjoy this last dance before our departure?" Reito asked in response.

"Is that why you are here?"

Reito considered the question for a moment before shaking his head.

"Ah, no. But I remember why, now. I had promised someone that I would be ready when the time came."

Reito set the sword down in front of him and rested his hands on the hilt in a seemingly relaxed pose. He closed his eyes and smiled.

"The time is now. So here I am."

Shizuru nodded and slung the weapon over her shoulders once more in a casual pose.

"... I'm glad, then."

Reito's smile grew accordingly.

"If anything, it was a fun ride while it lasted."

The light swallowed them up as they stood still. This light grew and grew, eventually engulfing a rather large radius that included the ruined club. Shigeru and Mikoto managed to make it out in time with Kyoko and Mai in tow, and they watched with curious eyes as the light folded up within itself in the span of five seconds. Just like that, it was gone. They stared at the empty club with identical expressions of disbelief until Mikoto ran back to the club. She returned with a troubled expression on her face.

"What is it?" he asked quietly.

"I can't find anyone," she announced. "They're all... gone."

* * *

Before the snow, there came peaceful waves of green. The grass tickled her feet whenever she stepped down on it. She paused and looked around with a frown on her lips.

_Where was this snow?_

Maybe she had gone the wrong way, but she hadn't switched directions since embarking on this path through Kiyo's direction. With a shrug she continued to walk idly through these peaceful plains, never stopping more than five minutes at a time. How long was five minutes, again? She looked down at her wrist and realized that she had no watch in this strange place.

_Maybe there is no time, here._

So an hour could have passed. Two hours. Six hours. An entire day. Maybe even a week had already passed in this strange world and here she was traveling down the one set path she had been told to go down.

_What am I supposed to find?_

She paused once more as she heard another strange noise, this time a sniffling sort of noise that could only come from someone trying to stifle his or her tears. It sounded like a young individual, at least, so she stood still and turned around to pinpoint the source of the noise. It was a boy, crouched over himself with his tiny fists crushed into his eyes in some attempt to stem the tears that dribbled out through the gaps of his fingers. Midnight black hair stuck out in various angles on his boy's head, and he was dressed in enough silken finery to alert her to who he could possibly be.

_Kagutsuchi_.

The boy looked up. His eyes were a striking shade of fire red, of molten lava that glimmered beneath the tears. He paused at first before his features twisted into an aggravated scowl upon seeing her.

"What are you doing here?!" he snarled. "No one else is allowed except us!"

She stared at him, unimpressed, until he finally stood up to his feet. Despite his feet being bare, they weren't dirty at all from the dirt and grass beneath them. A set of golden rings dangled from his skinny ankles and he adjusted his clothes briefly before glaring at her once more.

"Answer my question," he demanded, this time in a more arrogant tone.

_I'm looking for snow._

"Snow?" he repeated, now with an eyebrow shooting up in childhood curiosity. "There's snow around here, if you keep walking until these plains end."

She nodded and turned on her heel to go. As she walked, however, she heard the faint pitter-patter of footsteps following her. She turned her head down to see that the boy was now following her.

_... Why are you following me?_

"I can't?" he asked in response. His lips curled into a smirk. "You'd probably get lost, if I didn't. I'm not sure you'd have enough_ time_ to get lost."

So time did flow here, albeit how it flowed was anyone's guess. She frowned and walked once more with the boy tailing her. After what looked to be some time she finally stopped and turned, facing the boy.

_Why were you crying?_

The boy considered the question before he frowned.

"... I was lonely. I have no one, you know. Mother died because I was born, and Father killed me in response, sending me here." He drew himself out of his contemplative state. "So I'm alone. But you're alone too. So that makes two of us."

_What about the others in this place?_

"What about them?" he asked with a scoff. "All they ever do is worry themselves over their mediums."

_You don't?_

"Why should I? They always leave me in the end. I've lost track of how many times we've gone over this. These faces are all blurry to me." He shrugged. "Don't look at me like that. It's always been like that."

_You possessed my best friend and caused all this damage. _

"I did, didn't I?" He stretched his arms and placed his hands behind his head. "But I didn't do _everything_ that went wrong, you know. Besides... it's always one of us who goes crazy. Always."

She considered this. His expression was especially somber as they walked, until the grasses faded and all that remained was arid land. The ground felt somewhat hard to her feet but it wasn't unpleasant, like most things in this strange world. There were black marks on this land, marks of flame and suffering that rendered the grasses to nothing, but her heart did not raise up in alarm as the warm ground contacted her feet. Nothing was physically unpleasant, but her heart was heavy and her thoughts even heavier. Where would she go from here?

"If you think about it, it could have been any of you."

_... Why her?_

"... I guess... we were the same." Kagutsuchi smiled, then. "Her mother died, and her father abandoned her. She went through most of life pretty much depending on herself. I guess... it drew me to her. This sameness. It's the same with you and your Duran, you know. All an issue of being compatible."

_That doesn't excuse what you did._

"Nah, it doesn't. But you know? Things are different here. The rules don't exist. All we want is to get out of here. If you lived here, if you spent hundreds of years waiting here, you'd want out too."

She went silent at that. They continued to walk until Kagutsuchi suddenly stopped and frowned.

"This is as far as I'll go."

When she looked down she noticed the faint gathering of snow on the ground. His feet were firmly planted on the dry land, and she looked into his thoughtful eyes. He seemed to struggle with something before he nodded his head and looked up.

"... There is a sword, carried by one of your comrades. It can be used to destroy me in your world."

His lips trembled slightly but he shook his head and took in a deep breath before letting it out in a short puff of air.

"It's time... I go back. This will be the last time, hopefully. So go. There is someone you'd have to meet."

She nodded faintly and turned to walk into the whiteness that Kagutsuchi refused to go into. The boy watched her go with an unreadable expression on his face before he too turned around to walk back into those beckoning grasses.

She walked through endless plains of snow, barefoot and dressed in a white button down shirt and loose slacks. The collar of her shirt picked up with the wind and flew this way and that, affording her little protection from the cold but plenty of distraction. She continued to walk without a clue on where to go, but her feet apparently knew this road and she trusted her feet. So she walked, and walked, through the blinding white and towards the oncoming bursts of wind that played with her hair and pulled it back. She squinted and brought an arm up to shield herself, but the blinding white became too much for her eyes... eyes? She paused and closed her right eye. The world did not go dark. This couldn't be real, even thought she had established this for some time now. Where was she, again? A dream? A coma? Was she really dead? No, she didn't think Kiyo and Kagutsuchi would deliberately lie to her. She did wish that these spirits had a way to convey information that didn't sound so confusing, at least. These thoughts nearly left just as soon as they came. She was a brief speck of color in this dazzling white world of snow that did not feel cold, of winds that did not cut through her skin.

_So confusing..._

_What is going on?_

She patted her stomach absently, noticing that there was no gaping wound there. Something moved beside her and she shifted her gaze over to see what it was. A silver wolf was standing there on all four legs. Hints of its fur carried a strange shade of blue as the wind slammed into its fur here and there, and its eyes were a curious shade of red. It was not a natural red like the color she had become accustomed to in the world of the living. This was a manufactured red, the red of machines, yet this color found its home in those fiercely intelligent eyes that looked down on her. Four heavy golden rings inscribed with a myriad of symbols wrapped around the beasts' upper limbs and golden markings dripped from its eyes down to the ends of its jaw. The wolf was easily large enough to swallow her whole, but she was unafraid. She knew this face despite having only seen it once before, when they had first met.

Duran.

Duran turned and slowly began to walk. She followed him wordlessly through the seemingly endless drifts of snow, but soon she began to see something other than white. This was the blue of the ocean stretching out in front of her, and Duran stopped to sit near the last true bit of snow that built the bank against these churning waters. He looked out towards the wide expanse of water with a wistful expression in his eyes. She felt what he was looking for and she too fixed her gaze out. He was trapped, here, tasked with watching over this land of ice and snow. Icicles began to fall from his thick fur as he shook his head roughly, but he made no move to go any further. This was the farthest he would go until the winds let up. The snow began to let up slightly and she turned, noticing now the treacherous road they had just traveled through. Beneath their feet laid a myriad of thin, winding paths that the snow had cleverly hid. Unaware individuals—spirits, she wasn't sure—would have fallen through those bottomless cracks in between these roads. Clever, but devastating.

He squinted his eyes and flicked his tail once in a lazy maneuver.

**You've done what you could. They should be proud.**

_Thanks... I guess._

**Would you have wanted more time with them?**

She remained silent at that. Duran looked down at her and breathed out in one lengthy sigh. She looked up and studied his silence for a moment before turning back to the endless ocean in front of them.

_You'd want to go beyond here, wouldn't you?_

_Out into the ocean over there._

**I wish... to be free.**

She looked up at him once more and frowned as she took in his patient eyes.

_What's stopping you? There's no boundary here._

**To be free... would be to say goodbye.**

Goodbye? To who? Her frown grew deeper but it seemed that the corners of the wolf's mouth were now turned upward. If wolves could smile, this would probably be how they did it, but this particular smile wasn't something she had expected from this wolf. It was a mirthless grin, as if Duran was merely smiling for the sake of nothing else to do in light of the situation.

_Duran?_

He looked down at her and for the first time she realized that he had never once looked at her directly.

**I want you to go back and look at your world with my eyes, pup. Take care of them, along with the other gift I will give you later. **

She wanted to question this second item but decided against it. She moved forward and he sensed her coming closer as he lowered his head. Fingers pressed against his fur and he closed his eyes. Many times he had indirectly felt this through their connection, but this was the first time he felt the warmth from these particular fingertips. He straightened and tilted his head over towards the snow.

**She will call for the gates to open. And when that happens, you will be able to return.**

_But you will stay here._

**I rule over this plain and will return to the oceans. It is not an unpleasant arrangement.**

She turned and faced the snow. He bowed his head down so that it was level to hers.

**Today... would be a good day to say goodbye.**

_... Yeah. You're right._

She took in a deep breath and let it out in one loose sigh. So this was it. Duran straightened beside her.

_We can at least walk one more time... together._

**As you wish.**

He nodded towards the final road they would walk together. This had a slightly defined path, a small indent where the snow settled into something rather than on top of it. The snow felt cold for the first time.

_All that glitters... is cold._

They would walk through Winter's Road.

* * *

AN: Hope you are enjoying this, because we are drawing towards an end.

Thank you for remaining patient :)

Cheers.


	21. Twilight

Hello all, Author here. There's been some... crazy set of circumstances that have kept me away from here. Haha. Crazy isn't necessarily bad, though.

As always, thank you so much for your reviews.

Mai-hime and related belong to Sunrise

* * *

**Twilight**

If Shizuru could put words to what she was feeling at this very moment, she would have failed miserably. There was already a pounding headache growing behind her eyes and she shut them in some attempt to keep it at bay. But the smell of blood invaded her nostrils and she snorted briefly to rid herself of the gurgling sensation at the back of her throat. She was not going to retch. She was not going to retch. She was not going to... Shizuru clamped a hand over her mouth and willed herself to calm down. There was a short hack of a cough to her left, followed closely by several more coughs. She barely registered Reito as he leaned the claymore on his shoulder and wiped his lips with the edge of his shirt sleeve. He took another short breath and looked around him.

"... Where are we?"

She decided that she had accommodated enough to this weird environment and took in a deep breath through her mouth. The air tasted coppery, but this wasn't as bad as having the scent overpower her nostrils. Shizuru looked down and saw her reflection in the murky red liquid. Her bare legs were submerged in this pool, and even Reito's black slacks picked up the oily sheen of burgundy from standing beside her. She knelt slightly and dipped her fingers into the liquid, letting a trail of droplets fly out into an arc as she brought her hand to her eyes and rubbed her fingers together to get a better feel for the substance. She knew what this was, and so did he, but they failed to voice their thoughts as she flicked her fingers down to rid themselves of excess blood. The white shirt tied around her middle was slowly starting to show spots, almost in response to the pool they were currently standing in. Reito lifted a foot through the sludge and took a slow step forward, pushing himself through the sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. She shouldered her naginata and followed him quietly through this seemingly endless calf-deep pool of blood.

Where did all this blood come from?

In the back of her mind she knew the answer to that question. Reito offered no comment, deciding instead to focus solely on getting out of this mire. Her mind buzzed numbly from the tortured screams of girls, girls not much younger than her. They were the outwardly brave and inwardly scared maidens who fought in gloriously skewed battles in the past, trying to secure some grace for themselves in exchange for protecting those dearest to them. This was the garden of the defeated, drenched permanently in generations of blood and pitiful screams of anguish. Reito shouldered his claymore and pushed through with a disturbed expression on his face that spoke volumes of the discomfort they both felt. However, he could not hear these screams like Shizuru clearly could. It took nearly everything she had to keep herself from sinking into this pool and screaming out her own pain, but then she reminded herself that her voice had already begun to lose itself in light of the current situation.

_What would you have done, Natsuki?_

With a glum look on her face she paused briefly and turned to where they had begun their slow march through the blood pool. Reito paused as well, but his feet brushed up against what felt like rocks. He narrowed his eyes and picked up his pace, suddenly scrambling up to what looked to be a definitive border of dry land. Shizuru gingerly stepped over the rocks and accepted his outstretched hand as her bare feet felt the strange tickle of grass. She looked down at the bloodied stalks before focusing her gaze forward. There was a gate before them, a monstrous thing that reached almost as far up as their eyes could go. The center of this seemingly impenetrable wall merely contained an imposing set of doors made from what looked to be planks of obsidian wood inlaid with bars crafted from dark gold. Reito pressed his fingers against the wood and frowned.

Was this their Valhalla?

It was nothing more than a pit of sorrow containing dead Valkyries.

A great gust of wind blew towards their backs, bringing up the smell of blood that they had carefully tried to avoid moments before. Shizuru turned and threw up an arm to steady herself as Reito stabbed the claymore down and set both of his hands on the pommel of the sword. A flurry of white and green assaulted their vision until they realized that Kagutsuchi was leering at the gate behind them. The dragon made no move to blast the gate down, however, and they eased their stances as Kagutsuchi slowly dropped down onto hard ground. The grass beneath his feet sizzled when he reared up on two legs and crossed his arms across his chest.

The grass was lit in a bright ring of orange in front of Kagutsuchi as his head suddenly slumped forward in what looked to be an unconscious manner. Reito and Shizuru watched on cautiously as the ring burned into the grass. A second later the flames shot up and disappeared in a twist, leaving behind what looked to be a child, a boy. His clothes clearly pegged him as coming from the distant past. This boy was floating when he first appeared, and his bare feet lightly touched against the arid earth. A heavy golden ring clanged against the surface as it slipped down to his ankle. Black, tousled hair and deep red eyes carried with them a combined sense of recklessness and wisdom as this child quietly studied the two. The sword in Reito's grasp began to vibrate angrily and the child studied the weapon impassively before turning his gaze towards Shizuru. Their eyes connected and immediately she knew who this strange boy was.

"The gate will not open until only one of us remains," Kagutsuchi announced softly.

Shizuru narrowed her eyes and swung the naginata around so that it was in front of her.

"What lies beyond this gate?" she asked quietly.

Kagutsuchi paused and cocked his head slightly.

"Everything... for those who have nothing." His lips curled into a sardonic smile. "And nothing... for those who want everything."

The boy let loose a long cloud of steam as he breathed out through his nostrils.

"However, the gate will not open until there is only one of us," he reminded.

"I suppose this means two of us will be saying goodbye today?" Reito asked as he leaned forward.

Kagutsuchi seemed to smile as he spread his arms out. Flames lazily trailed down his limbs until they centered around his wrists and ankles where they then fanned out into circles. Soon these flames materialized into golden rings with comma-like pieces of green jade separating the rings at certain intervals. He lightly touched off from the ground and floated about a foot above it as he brought one hand up in a lazy wave.

"Today... tomorrow... it is of no consequence. We will all perish in the end regardless of what we may do. We cannot escape that fact."

_Everything amounts to nothing._

Shizuru paused slightly in realization. This boy—was he even a boy—was fully prepared to die in light of the situation. Kagutsuchi was not fighting for ultimate power even though he now possessed it. He could not destroy himself—the hottest flames could kill the planet but he could not turn them onto himself. She read his desires in the uneasy silence that surrounded them until she shook her head.

"You had been wanting this all along, haven't you?" she asked. "You knew something like this would have happened."

"Whoever faces the threat behind those doors will indeed break our chains over this world. Whether it was Duran's master, Fujino of Kyoto, or even Mai-hime would not have mattered, as long as that person was worthy. And you are the only one left out of the three, so my last stand begins here."

Reito cleared his throat and stepped up with the sword slung across his shoulders. Kagutsuchi stared at the young man with a raised eyebrow before smirking and crossing his arms.

"You would fight in her place?" he inquired. "But you are not a match for my abilities."

"Maybe so," Reito replied calmly. "But I have a promise I must keep. I am confident enough in my abilities."

The sword in his hand glowed in response. Kagutsuchi again became silent as he studied the glow from the sword.

"That weapon in you hand, what is its name?" the boy asked suddenly.

Reito brought the sword down in front of him and tapped its obsidian blade with a finger.

"Its name... is an old one. Loving kindness. Great Benevolence. Maitreya. But in our native tongue, this weapon is referred to as Miroku."

The blade shuddered to life and a pair of glowing red eyes suddenly snapped open at the base of the blade, focusing on the young boy staring at them. The boy closed his eyes and sighed through his lips before he smiled. Kagutsuchi turned, then, and lazily began to float up. He looked down at the two.

"Come at me, then, and break these chains."

"... Well, I suppose this settles it." Reito stretched his arms above his head and sighed as his shoulders popped. "Ah, I seem a little out of shape."

Shizuru looked over at one of her oldest friends. This was a man who never looked out of place despite how strange life could get. And now he was walking into the dragon's den with little hope for survival. At worst he would only buy her time and tire Kagutsuchi enough to make the next victory a little more swift. A cold sense of dread gripped her insides. And if Kagutsuchi died? Then what would that entail? Reito was outside of the entire debacle in terms of the old Carnival's rules, but this was not the old Carnival. Only one could open the doors to this supposed Valhalla, and there was no other exit out of this bloodied pool of defeated maidens.

Would they have to fight?

Reito smiled slightly and twisted his upper body around a few times to work out the kinks in his back when he was satisfied he looked over towards Shizuru who was still deep in thought.

"... You're in no condition to exert yourself too much, Shizuru-san," he said quietly. "No matter what, you have to return alive."

No "we." She narrowed her eyes.

"Dying here won't change anything," she said. "She is still alive, in our world."

"That may be so, but we will cross that bridge when we come to it." He turned and looked towards the waiting Kagutsuchi. "It is no use to agonize over the details when the picture is not even drawn. But I mustn't keep him waiting too long. Will you give me a hand, Shizuru-san? I am afraid I cannot grow wings in this strange world to fly up to him. He is rather high up."

He smiled one last reassuring grin before shouldering Miroku and walking a little ways away from her. She took in a deep breath and steadied herself before grabbing onto her naginata with both hands.

"This will be decided in one blow," he announced.

One blow? Shizuru almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the statement. This boy, monster, spirit, whatever... He took away her Natsuki. Granted, Reito was a seasoned sword fighter, but would he last long against this seemingly impossible-to-beat spirit? Maybe, maybe not. But he had that look in his eyes again, the look of someone who was about to destroy something that could never be replaced. In a way Shizuru understood the feeling, but she had never seen this sense of sad acceptance that seemed to permeate Reito's golden eyes. He was preparing himself to be an executioner, and now Shizuru was certain she knew why.

Reito sighed.

"Here I go."

Reito broke out into a sprint, slinging the sword onto his back and keeping it steady with his hands. His feet pounded against the ground and brought up the dying stalks of grass that flew behind him in his wake. Shizuru turned and brought the naginata around, twisting so that she looked as if she was about to smash something into another universe. Reito hopped a little in his run, skipped once, and finally launched himself up high enough to executive a twisting flip. Right before the flip Shizuru dug her toes into the ground and swung the naginata around like one would a golf club. When the weapon was parallel to the ground, Reito's feet connected to the rod and he immediately knelt into a crouching position before launching himself into the air once more. She put her entire body into the swing, flinging Reito up into an impossible height. A miniature shock wave knocked Shizuru's hair back and nearly caused her to fling her naginata away. Even Kagutsuchi seemed a little lost as he saw the young man zooming towards him, but he brought his hands up just as Miroku flashed towards his head. Reito's eyes were unreadable during this strange moment of floating in mid-air. Kagutsuchi felt the incredible weight of the sword against his rings and he grit his teeth even as Miroku began to glow a hazy red that spread all across the length of the blade.

"... Not bad," the boy said through his clenched jaw. "But gravity will not work in your favor soon enough."

"Perhaps," Reito replied simply. "But you will not fly on forever, son."

The boy's eyes widened at this statement and his lips grew slack.

_Izanagi._

Reito closed his eyes and Miroku came alive. Kagutsuchi felt the blade enter his ribcage with little resistance. It simply slid in between the bones and lodged itself through his lungs. This would not be a very pretty death. Soon the blood would fill his lungs and he would drown. Kagutsuchi felt his mind grow curiously blank but he stiffened as he felt a hand roughly grab onto the back of his head, pulling him into a muscled chest that smelled of cedars and brought out memories of tears. The boy sank into this one-handed embrace. The heavy rings around his wrists and ankles kept the two afloat as they leaned onto one another. Kagutsuchi's eyes began to grow dim while the blood dripped down from Miroku's blade and onto Reito's hand. For a moment he imagined Mai also embracing him and he slowly closed his eyes. He could almost feel those slender fingers running through his hair and touching his cheek.

_Mai-hime... _

_I'm so sorry... Mother._

_I caused you a lot of pain, didn't I?_

_Again. _

_I'm sorry._

"You can sleep now, son."

_Thank you..._

_... Father._

Kagutsuchi slumped forward and burst into millions of green particles that shimmered in front of Reito, offering him one last look of fascination before he felt something wrap around him. He registered this as the extending blade of Shizuru's weapon that was bringing him back to earth. Reito shut his eyes and dropped Miroku numbly into the grass. The sword jumped once before falling back. The obsidian blade was relatively silent as Shizuru whipped her naginata behind her and walked towards the slumped man in front of her. Reito drew his knees up and rested his elbows on them as he hunched over a lone golden ankle ring that had been left behind. He grabbed this ring and quietly fitted it over his hand, pushing it through and resting it against his wrist. Shizuru watched him wordlessly before he looked up ant her.

"You are him, aren't you? In this sordid tale, your role has finally emerged."

He nodded numbly.

"... How long have you known that you would embody Izanagi?" Shizuru asked.

"Since Kagutsuchi made himself known through Mai-san," Reito replied quietly. "It fit with your explanation over your dampening capabilities. Somewhere, deep down inside, I knew that I would kill Kagutsuchi."

_... Again._

The unspoken word still resonated between the two of them.

"... What will we do now?" she asked.

"What can we do now?" Reito inquired. "I am afraid that is entirely up to you. We have yet to see this Valhalla we are supposedly fighting for, if you can call it that."

"... You are referring to what John Smith was alluding to."

Reito looked up at the gates in front of them.

"It's a strange feeling, like dipping one's hands in dirty water in order to find what was dropped in it. Everything feels the same, but you can't help but wonder if whatever it is you are grazing up against is what you want to pull out."

Shizuru took his explanation silently as Reito finally sighed and rubbed his fingertips against his scalp. This managed to displace several locks of black hair that tumbled down to his eyes, shielding them from Shizuru's sight. When he spoke again his message was measured and firm despite his contemplative tone of voice.

"For all we know, this final enemy of ours could be one of us standing here, and I am afraid there would be only one way to find that out."

Shizuru turned away and bit her lip in a rare show of anxiety.

"... You need to rest a little bit, Reito-han. You seem somewhat out of breath."

Reito nodded wordlessly and fell back against the grass. Shizuru placed a hand against her stomach and felt the dull pain in response to her touch. This was an odd wound that was still attempting to close—maybe those claws of Kagutsuchi contained something that caused wounds to heal more slowly. She grimaced and looked down at Reito's prone body. Maybe he was right. Maybe the only way that gate was going to open was if they fought against one another. But that carried with it a hefty consequence—if these previous struggles were of any indication, these forces that played with them only accepted a fight to the death. So one of them would be standing at the end of that scenario, then the gates would open. Would Natsuki be waiting there for her? Her heart thumped painfully and her fingers curled around the naginata. It would be incredibly easy. Reito even looked as if he was expecting it as he laid there on his back. It would be quick, and painless. Then she would be able to see Natsuki again. Wasn't that what Kagutsuchi had meant with that cryptic message?

_Everything... for those who have nothing._

Shizuru's hand shook and she clenched her jaw before swinging the weapon around and stabbing its blade into the ground. She shook her head and absently rubbed her hands up and down her arms in an attempt to fight off another round of anxious shivers. Her lips parted slightly and her tongue again took in the coppery tang that permeated the air around them. She finally sat down beside Reito's sleeping form and drew her knees close to her, wrapping her arms around them and resting her chin on her knees. No. There had to be another way. There had to be. She refused to go any further down this maddening slope. She turned and studied Reito's complacent face for a quiet moment while panic and disgust over said panic battled for dominance in her mind.

Only one of them would be able to make it through that gate.

_If it came to that._

_If it came to that..._

_What would you do, Natsuki?_

* * *

Natsuki stiffened and stopped her walk through endless snow plains. Duran noticed her pause and craned his head over so that he looked down at her.

_**What is the matter?**_

_I'm not sure. I feel as if someone had just asked me a question._

Natsuki rubbed the back of her neck and frowned.

_What would I do?_

Duran narrowed his eyes and sat down on his haunches as he pointed his nose forward.

_**Look there. **_

She squinted and began to make out what looked to be something large and black in the distance. It was the first time she had seen something other than dazzling white in this strange world of in-between, but for some reason this did not elate her in any manner. Instead she found herself frowning even more deeply at this imposing structure.

_What lies beyond there?_

_**Freedom... is what we would like to think. This is the Gate.**_

Natsuki and Duran walked closer to the black structure which now morphed into an impressive black wall that then lead to a door inlaid with gold near the center. She pressed her fingertips against the wooden grain of the Gate and stood there in contemplative silence before looking up at Duran.

_How does this gate open?_

Duran nudged against the door with his forehead for a moment.

_**When the last one survives the conflict. Then the Gates will open.**_

Natsuki shook her head and focused on the door. Her eyes flickered in and out of awareness as her nose began to pick up the smell of something coppery. She took a step back and looked up at Duran in alarm.

_Why does it smell like that beyond these doors?_

Duran offered little in response at first. Then he dislodged his forehead from the door and sighed heavily.

_**It is a garden of defeat, a pool of blood that never runs dry. These Gates will open to admit the winner of the final conflict, and the defeated will sink to the bottom of that pool. **_

_... Is there no other way to get through?_

_**Perhaps. But there is little chance. The conflict has invariably started now. Kagutsuchi has failed to respond to my calls.**_

Natsuki cocked her head at this information.

_Then the Gates should open... so what's stopping it?_

Duran narrowed his eyes.

_**There are still two left. Your Fujino... and him.**_

_**The Obsidian Lord.**_

_**Izanagi.**_

Natsuki's eyes shot wide open and she whirled around so that she was facing the gate.

_We have to open this gate._

_WE HAVE TO OPEN THIS GATE._

But Duran gave a surprised howl and buckled down into the snow. Natsuki turned and ran over towards the fallen beast, pressing her fingers against the fur of his neck. The wolf opened his mouth and took in a strained breath. His unseeing eyes were wide open and Natsuki found herself shutting her own eyes in some attempt to destroy the overwhelming sense of panic that had begun to build up within her.

_Duran!_

_**I will be alright, pup...**_

He shook his head but remained on the ground. He let loose a pained groan and craned his head up so that his nose pointed towards the doors.

_**I cannot remain myself... if I stay here.**_

_Then go. I'll open the gate._

Now Duran looked positively miffed as he snapped his nose towards her face. She shook her head and managed a tight-lipped smile.

_Freedom, you said that, right? _

Those fierce eyes softened and Duran rested his head back onto the ground. She ran her fingers down his silken fur one last time before straightening. She closed her eyes and snapped them open after taking in a deep breath. Suddenly the bland, colorless attire she was wearing morphed into the dirty and ruined suit she had worn in the mortal world. The gloves were now on her hands and she flexed the leather experimentally before rushing towards the Gate. The world was now coming alive in color as her fist slammed into the unforgiving wood of the Gate. For the first time since stepping into this limbo, she felt a sharp pain shoot through her knuckles and she nearly hopped back with a surprised cry. Instead she clenched her jaw and managed a feral grin. Good. It was good to feel pain again. She shook her fingers slightly to rid herself of the numbing sensation before drawing her fist up to punch the door again. This time the Gate shook in response. Layers of dust cascaded around her stiff shoulders as she reared her fist back once more.

Duran watched her silently before he drew himself up to his feet. Good. His work here was finally done.

* * *

Kagutsuchi's beast corpse was still there when Shizuru opened her eyes after an uneasy rest. She stared up at the towering body and those now-soulless green eyes with an unreadable expression on her face before she drew herself up to her feet. Reito was not next to her and she paused slightly before spotting the familiar head of black hair near the edge where the dead grass and blood met. He sat there in a crouch with a contemplative look and his hands tucked in his pockets. Miroku was a little ways away from him. Despite the blade being black, there was still a strange discoloration on it due to its previous use against the boy Kagutsuchi. She turned away from the sword and refocused on Reito who had now straightened from his crouch. He faced her with a thin smile on his lips.

"No change," he announced softly.

She nodded stiffly.

_This is how it will end._

Shizuru flicked her hand down and like a bolt of lightning the naginata was summoned to her hand. She swung it over her shoulders and took in a deep breath as Reito drew Miroku up from the ground.

_... Such a miserable business._

"You should take advantage of this opportunity," Reito announced softly. "I am not aware of how much I can hold back in light of the circumstance."

"The circumstance?" Shizuru repeated.

"Surely you have felt this black taint surrounding us."

Reito clenched his jaw and appeared to struggle with himself for a moment before his lips finally moved once more.

"This... Obsidian... taint..."

Something behind them roared and Shizuru snapped her head around to witness Kagutsuchi's corpse bellowing as it attempted to spread its fire wings to become airborne. She gaped as the reanimated creature sprouted what looked to be jets of black fire from its back. Kagutsuchi snorted out a thick cloud of suffocating smoke when it turned to face the two, but its eyes were focused only on Shizuru who in turn leveled the naginata in front of her.

_Well... shit._

Shizuru turned on her heel and nimbly skipped away from the first round of black flame that spewed from Kagutsuchi's gaping jaw. The dragon reared its head up and rained this obsidian death down upon her but she merely spun her weapon around to kill off the initial burst of the flame before taking cover near the impassive Gates behind her. The Gate seemingly vibrated in response to her back hitting it and her eyes widened as she felt something move behind her.

_Thump._

_Thump._

The Gate was _shaking_.

_Thump._

_Thump._

This was too rhythmic for it to be coincidental. Shizuru ran the options through her head before she pressed against the quivering door with her free hand. Was someone _hitting_ the door from the other side?

Kagutsuchi had locked onto her during her distraction and unleashed another volley of flames. Shizuru inwardly cursed and swung the naginata around behind her as she ran from the Gate and avoided the initial burst of flame. She spotted what looked to be a dying tree and flicked her weapon towards it. In response the blade detached and the chain beneath lengthened, wrapping the separated blade around one of the thicker branches. The resulting tug brought Shizuru flying up, successfully evading another round of black fire. She chanced a glance behind her and noticed the uncharacteristically impassive Reito staring at the Gate before Kagutsuchi suddenly invaded her vision. She narrowly avoided its claws as it attempted to bat her out of the air but she decided not to take any chances. The naginata dislodged itself from the tree and she knocked Kagutsuchi's other hand from its intended path towards her face. She felt something whistle by and realized with another frustrated frown that the tree she had been aiming for was now past her. This turned into something of a boon for her, however, as this zombie-Kagutsuchi had been paying no attention to any obstacle other than herself. The creature let out a roar of frustration as its wings became momentarily entangled by the tree's sprawling branches, buying Shizuru some time to recover and think of a way out of this frenzied fight.

Whatever happened, she needed to be at the Gate. Fair enough. Reito was keeping mysteriously quiet and while that did unnerve Shizuru she inwardly was a bit thankful. She did not fancy a need to be double-teamed right now. This reanimated corpse was taking its sweet time in attempting to free itself from the tree when it could have simply set the entire place on fire, but Shizuru figured that there was already something weird about the place anyway. Having a lake of blood around as seemingly the only source of nourishment could conceivably lead to having trees that refused to burst into flame. She didn't know, nor did she particularly care. This tree was a strange thing, however. It seemed that the more Kagutsuchi struggled, the more likely the tree was in keeping a hold over its new prey. Shizuru watched with a somewhat mortified expression on her face as the creature finally bellowed in frustration and attempted to unearth the tree by planting its feet on the ground and wrestling with the massive trunk. The tree would have absolutely none of that, and the branches shifted as they seemingly hugged Kagutsuchi. The dragon wasn't too keen on the affectionate gesture but there was only so much a dead body could jerk itself through before it too fell into disarray. With an almighty groan the dragon finally fell to its knees and began to dissolve into green lights, but these lights did not shatter and scatter. Instead the lights glowed faintly and disappeared into the tree which then seemed to grow even larger due to the influx of energy. Shizuru studied this phenomenon with a grim frown on her face before she relaxed the death grip on her naginata.

Enough of that. Now it was time for the main event.

Reito was still staring at the Gate by the time Shizuru returned. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow before tilting his head to the side.

"As expected, you were able to triumph."

There was something decidedly strange about the man's statement. It wasn't the wording, Shizuru found. It was found in the inflection of the words, the careful pronunciation. This was not the Reito she knew. This stranger in familiar clothing seemed to pick up on her caution and he smiled a tight-lipped smile as he turned to face her fully.

"The longer I am here, the more likely I am to return to who I once was. These maidens here... have this mysterious quality in that they can at least hold onto their current identities."

Reito crossed his arms and nodded to himself.

"Enough of that. This cycle will end now."

"And who are you to decide this?" Shizuru asked carefully.

Reito's smile grew.

"My, you sound as if I am the usurper here. That couldn't be farthest from the truth. I am the ruler here, and that would make you the usurper should you pass me."

"Don't play games with me," she warned in a low voice.

"I apologize. I suppose that time is running short for you."

Shizuru quietly laid a hand over her stomach. She knew that if she were to look down at her hand it would be spotted with blood. She shook her head to clear it of that deadening realization. No, there was no time to think about that.

"You are the winner of this Carnival, Fujino Shizuru. Congratulations. Generations of untold power now run through your veins and you are entitled to whatever you desire. However, the Gateway to your heaven will not open until you go through me."

"... I suppose that talking this through won't yield a favorable result," Shizuru replied in a terse voice.

"I am prepared to make a concession, seeing as this body did make its way down here willingly despite knowing the dangers involved."

The man read the conflicting emotions in Shizuru's eyes.

"Oh, of course this body knew. Perhaps that was the reason why this body decided to go along with you instead of sending his sister along even though she is the more adept user of Miroku. But that is neither here nor there. You must be wondering just who _I _am, Shizuru-hime."

Reito closed his eyes then snapped them open, revealing angry irises the color of molten gold.

"I am the beginning. I am the Father of this Carnival. My name... is the Obsidian Lord."

_Thump._

_Thump._

The door was still shaking. Shizuru threw a desperate glance at it even as her blood ran cold at the Obsidian Lord's sudden entrance.

"Of course, I can make a concession to you. You do have a choice. You may give up this Carnival, forsake it, and join me. I must admit... I am quite tired of initiating round after round in this attempt to find perfection." The Obsidian Lord clasped his hands behind his back. "Or you can take up your arms and dance one last dance with me."

"I would never join you," Shizuru said coolly.

"Oh? Right. You did have your wolf. But Shizuru-hime, my dear... your little Natsuki is dead."

_Thump._

_Thump._

"You would still fight me, even with that fact already cemented?"

Shizuru offered no verbal reply. Instead her foot stepped forward resolutely and the naginata snapped into a ready position. The Obsidian Lord now frowned but he snapped his fingers, summoning Miroku to his hand.

"No one else for you, then. Well, I suppose I made my offer a bit too hastily. No matter. It appears as though I will have to fight once more with a stubborn one."

Shizuru closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. She wouldn't know what would wait for her on the other side of that Gate. The Gate continued to shudder from something pounding against it, but she refocused herself on the waiting Obsidian Lord.

This was it.

* * *

Natsuki leaned against the door as she panted heavily. It had been some time since her hands had stopped registering any sort of pain or any other feeling for that matter. The Gate before her was littered in miniature craters soaked in blood, but she could not stop as she reared her fist back once more and let it pummel into the Gate. The strength she wielded was now godly, and with every hit of her fist she felt this seemingly unforgiving Gate _give_ under her will. She could hear them clearly, now. Someone was speaking through Reito's voice but it was not Reito, if that made any sense. In her head it did, for her nose picked up a scent that was older than any human could project. This was an old presence and a dangerous one. She grit her teeth and pressed her shaky fingertips against the Gate.

_Shizuru..._

She could take care of herself, Natsuki knew that. Shizuru's skills with the naginata were near-legendary, and if she too was endowed with these ridiculous powers of the Carnival then she would be close to unstoppable. But unstoppable did not translate well into a guaranteed victory, especially if Shizuru was already rattled by the fact that Natsuki was supposedly _dead_. The death of a loved one could make nearly anyone go catatonic, Natsuki figured.

_But I'm not dead._

_I'm not dead. Please understand that and __**fight**__._

Natsuki slammed her fist into the Gate once more.

_Damn it, move!_

The Gate was beginning to give way.

* * *

AN: Whew.

Please let me know what you think :)


	22. The Day After Tomorrow

Good Evening, Author here.

My goodness it's been a bit of an absence! I apologize profusely for it--it was a very unexpected absence. Now I'm back, and I will be updating sporadically.

This, my friends, is what I will tentatively call the penultimate posting for this story. Just a heads up. Thank you, kind readers, for your continued patience.

Mai-hime belongs to Sunrise

* * *

**The Day After Tomorrow**

_Try to forget what's in the past, tomorrow is here._

Shizuru felt her shoulders back into something and she leaned her head back as her mouth opened up to take in ragged breaths. In this still darkness she attempted to keep herself upright by lodging the naginata on the ground. Her stomach felt as if it was on fire, a slow rolling roast that sickened her deeply. Her eyelids drooped as she looked up at the sky. Was it really a sky? Maybe if she reached up she could touch it... No. She brought herself back to the here and now with a brusque shake of her head.

_If I fall... what would happen?_

The Obsidian Lord moved with a fiendish speed that belied his monstrous strength. One swing of Miroku reduced her cover to mere rubble and would have lobbed her head off as well if she did not shove herself from the crumbling wall. She turned and knocked a larger piece of rubble away from her with a swing of her naginata, but her footing was unsure and her breathing increasingly erratic. The Obsidian Lord brought the sword up and placed it casually across his shoulder as he studied her with impassive eyes the color of the sun. They even flashed in what Shizuru could only read was a faint sense of disgust. She wanted to compare it to how one would view some insignificant little creature before smashing it with a boot. A mere blotting out of existence. This is what she had willingly walked into.

Her grip on her weapon increased as she thought of that rather careless move on her part. She only had a slight advantage over this supernatural entity standing before her and it was in her hands. The naginata was a weapon of status and a weapon meant to keep the attacker away at least enough to properly disarm and move in for the kill. It was a weapon for cavalry at first, then a weapon for protective wives and mothers who watched the estate as their warriors girded themselves up for battles in far off places. But Natsuki was lost to her now, and this would be purely a killing weapon diving in upon a murderous intent. Shizuru brought the weapon up and took in a deep breath. She was never too keen on the concept of killing, but moral stances were neither here nor there as the Obsidian Lord studied her with those glowing eyes of disapproval. She felt the anger overwhelm her with a frightening speed.

This was the one who had indirectly caused her Natsuki to die.

He seemed to read her thoughts and offered a careless little shrug in what looked to be acknowledgment. So? So what?

_You couldn't protect her._

Shizuru barely flinched.

"In a matter of time, this world will merge with your world, your living Earth," the Obsidian Lord explained in a matter-of-fact tone. "The gateway to Valhalla will open, and the war for this world will truly begin in earnest. We are merely ushering in the first conflict... the greatest conflict."

"... Why?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"Why? ...Well, I guess I was never quite asked that question in the past." He paused and tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I suppose... I am growing tired of this world. This... insignificant, little blot of dimming color and festering diseases. You feel it too, don't you? In this pit of maidens. The stench must be overwhelming for you. But imagine that multiplied tenfold and spread out to the farthest corners of this little planet."

He wrinkled his nose as if he had been forced to smell something particularly unpleasant. Shizuru could not blame him—the air reeked of coppery blood whenever she remembered that she was, in fact, hunched over a pool of fallen maidens.

"This... sickening place needs to be cleaned. Beautified. Yes, I suppose I would like that. To make this world beautiful."

"Beauty is relative," Shizuru noted in the stillness that followed his explanation.

He cocked his head to the side as he regarded this. With an easy shrug and smile he allowed himself a brief chuckle at her terse statement.

"Perhaps. But history is also written by the victors. I regret that you will not be able to appreciate just how beautiful this new world is by the time we finish." He frowned slightly. "But you seem to continue this fight with such earnest, Shizuru-hime. Which begs me to question why. Why are you fighting so hard, for a cause so lost?"

Shizuru set the blunt end of her naginata onto the ground beside her. When she breathed in the heavy scent of blood filled her lungs. Exhaling did nothing to take it away, but this time she managed to keep a straight face. She took in another deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"I suppose... that it would be unfair for only one person to decide this lofty future for all of us. Someone has to play the devil's advocate."

"Ever the diplomat, I see. I suppose this is why the others thought that you would be the one to win out."

She raised an eyebrow but offered no comment as the Obsidian Lord smiled in amusement. His eyes were telling her that their conversation was soon to be over, however, so her brain began to work in overtime to formulate one last-ditch effort to reach the body holding the corrupted presence.

"If it were Mai-han, would this have been any different?" she asked finally.

He paused and the smile faded slightly.

"... I would have been more upset at the inevitable end," he murmured. "But do not worry, Shizuru-hime. The death of a close friend will serve this body a similar amount of grief."

She inclined her head slightly in acknowledgment before flicking the naginata up from its resting position. She leaned it over her shoulders and stood completely still. The Obsidian Lord sighed.

"... Such a beautiful individual. I just hope this dance will be your best."

"I have no such intentions of giving my best dance to you," she replied, and her eyes flashed once with a deadly crimson glow.

For the first time, the Obsidian Lord felt something twist in his heart.

* * *

"You saved us, why?"

Kyoko did not glance at her brother even as he spoke to her for the first time since they had cleared a path from the crumbling club to the streets. Strangely enough it wasn't as cold as she thought it would have been but she welcomed this break from the freezing temperatures. The pit of her stomach quivered madly and she clenched her jaw to keep her teeth from chattering at a sudden fit of nervousness. How would she answer that sort of question? She wasn't even sure what possessed her to raise her hand and call her Kiyohime out to save them all. She finally turned and locked eyes with her brother. Those worn maple eyes had lost their spark a long time ago, ever since this entire mess started. And when was that, exactly? The accident that caused Shizuru to lapse into a coma? Or was it earlier when Shizuru was born? Or was it even earlier than that, when a young Shigeru stumbled upon her isolated self when she was in the middle of a painful transformation? Whatever the case, those eyes were curiously accepting now, so she quietly cleared her throat and graced her brother with a response like any polite individual would provide.

"It was not familial piety. Kiyohime is an avatar of jealous rage contained in expensive silk and fine manners. I only have enough control to unleash her fury in a direction to which I see fit. How she reacts is out of my hands."

It was a start to something other than a stony silence in spite of her arrogant tone. Shigeru rubbed the back of his neck and heaved a great sigh before readjusting his torn sleeve. She watched him fidget in this uncharacteristic manner for a few seconds before she shook her head.

"That is rather poetic, coming from you," he said finally.

She considered this and shrugged.

"I suppose so. And rather ironic. She died twice to save you both again."

The message was not lost. Shigeru straightened and stuffed his hands into his pockets as he stared towards the crumbling mess of a club. She wondered briefly if her sharp tongue had earned her another outburst from her brother but she was surprised when she saw Shigeru's shoulders begin to slump slightly. This was highly unlike him.

"... I doubt I will ever forgive you."

She closed her eyes.

"I was never looking for that, brother."

Shigeru made a soft sort of noise that hovered between mild curiosity and slight frustration. Honestly, they had played this verbal game with one another one too many times. Even Kyoko began to feel the mounting frustration as her brother pulled his lips back into a sneer.

"Then? What were you looking for?"

"You are asking me this now?"

He waved a hand, then, and Kyoko could see that his lips were eased into a sad sort of smile. Her frustration began to drop as she saw this

"It looks to be the end of the world as we know it, Kyoko. I suppose now is a good time to be asking this question. I'm not sure how many levels of hell will separate the two of us."

"Good point."

Kyoko absently rubbed her hands together as if to conjure up the long-lost memories of aquamarine eyes. After a moment she let her hands fall limply to her sides. She found the task much easier than she was comfortable with.

"She was a mirror, the missing piece for both me and you. She risked her freedom and furiousness for bliss. She found that bliss in you, and I was given some measure of control in the process. But in the end, you were the true dampener and that was passed on to your daughter."

"So I was supposed to be your mediator, then."

"That was how it was first conceived, yes. But I admit that we were not compatible for one another at all."

"A sore outcome. I cannot apologize for that either."

"I know. So in the end, I did not know what I was looking for until it was too late. By that time, the Carnival was already set in motion through First District and now with the gathering of these maidens."

It was an answer. Shigeru shifted his gaze to the rubble next to his feet.

* * *

The Gateway opened just a crack, revealing a blinding flash of light and a plethora of smells that nearly knocked Natsuki back. Her bloodied fists laid limply at her sides as she opened her mouth and panted from the exhaustion. Consequently the scents of blood and perfume wafted over her sensitive nose and laid on her tongue, but she took it all in with a sense of relief. There was progress, and with that in mind she pressed her shaking fingertips against the Gateway. Beside her she was aware that Duran had long since disappeared into a shimmering cloud of green lights, but she could not afford to look back now. She had read about this before—the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. They were painfully close to the beginning of the underworld, this limbo where everything and nothing existed at the same time. She would not look back, even when her heart began to grow numb and a slow whining picked up in the back of her head which was now mysteriously clear.

But Duran had not left her completely. No, the chilling cold she felt in her limbs was a comfortable cold, a nostalgic cold. She absently patted her stomach and stood in front of the Gateway once more.

"Well, I have one shot."

Strangely enough it felt nice to hear her own voice again despite how hoarse it sounded. She offered up a grim smile as she took several steps back from the Gateway and planted her feet down. She stretched her arms above her head and took in a deep breath before letting her arms fall. Around her the snow had begun to accumulate in her limp arms which she then brought up as if holding up a rifle. The snow responded, building a long barrel and impressive firing mechanism that soon hardened to crystal clear ice. The magazine would carry only one bullet, but that was enough for her. She narrowed her eyes and felt the ice respond by anchoring her to the ground. The small sliver of freedom presented by the Gateway was in her sights and she rested her finger on the trigger. If for some reason this did not work, it would only be a matter of time before she could recover enough for another shot. A voice in the back of her head chided her on this lax attitude, however. She had all the power of a god, indeed... but less time than a mortal in the midst of Armageddon.

She pulled the trigger.

The power was incredible. Natsuki felt something collide into her back and she realized with a belated blink that it was her back colliding onto the ground. The sky was still hazy but with the instant change in scenery came a fresh blast of hot air and the stench of blood. She eased herself up to her knees and felt another blast of hot air brush against her cheeks. The Gateway had been breached. She exhaled slowly and recalled the ice cannon, letting the diamond dust sparkle down to her feet.

What was this place?

A graveyard, the voices whispered out to her. A graveyard for the lost and defeated. She closed her eyes and stood up fully, but she stopped short when she saw her.

Chestnut brown hair flew back in the wind, revealing incensed crimson eyes that particularly glowed from the surroundings. The naginata in her capable hands swung in wide arcs, cutting the air around it as it clashed repeatedly with what looked to be a black claymore wielded by a man dressed completely in black. Those golden eyes of his were narrowed in what looked to be supreme impatience, as if the man had expected nothing more than a meek surrender. Natsuki narrowed her eyes at that.

Her Shizuru, surrendering?

Never.

Shizuru brought the naginata up to catch another blow of the claymore, but this time the sword pushed through. The sturdy wood splintered and finally gave way to the blade, leaving Shizuru with a makeshift sword in one hand and a broken rod in the other. She hastily threw the rode away and settled both hands over the splintered wood. Something surged in Natsuki's exhausted limbs and she felt herself clap her hands together. The leather from the gloves creaked in response to the sudden change in temperature as frost brewed from her lips.

_Get down!_

Shizuru's eyes widened but before she could discern where that particular thought came from, she obeyed and ducked out of the way. This saved her head from a particularly nasty swipe of the Obsidian Lord's claymore. Furthermore it enabled her to escape the sudden onslaught of a glacier racing towards the two of them. The ice slammed into the man's chest, eliciting a surprised grunt to Shizuru's satisfaction. He was knocked back as the ice melded into a crumbling wall, further pinning him into this subzero prison. This afforded her some time to breathe, and she rested her tired arm.

She stood with her back to her savior in this momentary lull.

"Yo, Shizuru."

Shizuru closed her eyes.

"Ara... I was beginning to think you weren't going to come."

Her voice choked halfway through that calm statement but the smile on her lips was genuine.

"Sorry I was a bit late." A chuckle echoed in the stillness. "I was overdue for a visit with a few individuals, it seemed."

"I see."

There was a terse pause before she heard footsteps coming near her. Shizuru felt the coldness of leather and the warmth underneath blanket part of her bare shoulder and she merely sighed in response.

"I heard that it's the end of the world," Natsuki continued in soft tones.

"Perhaps."

Shizuru made a noncommittal shrug to follow her response. Natsuki stared out into the distance for a moment, her thoughts decidedly lost.

"What will happen to us?"

It was a question Shizuru had not been prepared to answer, but she merely sighed and took up her broken naginata again.

"I suppose... that is only a question that can be answered after we deal with this current conflict."

Natsuki eyed the imprisoned Obsidian Lord and let go of Shizuru.

"That... can easily be arranged."

The Obsidian Lord finally wrestled his body out of the subzero prison, only to meet the business end of a naginata pointed straight at his throat. He looked up and saw the fearsome emerald eyes of a hulking wolf glowering down at him. Shizuru hefted the broken yet impressive weapon from her position on top of this mythical steed. The Obsidian Lord offered a grim smile at the two even as the blade pressed against his throat.

"This body will live on," he announced. "You may kill me now, in this garden of the fallen, but only one will emerge the winner."

Shizuru offered no response as the wolf growled menacingly. The Obsidian Lord tilted his head back and laughed quietly.

"And this is how my story will end, as the Hunter who drove this Red Riding Hood into the jaws of the Wolf." The Obsidian Lord dissolved into a small fit of chuckles at his own amusement. "You realize, even with my defeat, the world will still hurtle into a certain end. You are not delaying it in any manner."

"We know," Shizuru replied simply.

"Then you also know what you must do."

Shizuru flicked the blade over and stabbed in one clean push. The Obsidian Lord felt the blade enter his chest and he lurched forward, but the smile on his lips seemingly grew in response to the merciful blow. Even as he fell to his knees and dissolved into those familiar green lights, the smile remained on his lips, haunting Shizuru even after that image finally disappeared from the bloody landscape.

_Only one will survive._

* * *

The world outside was still alive in shades of gray and muted colors. At least, that was what Mai's eyes were telling her when she finally managed to open them and focus them enough to see where she was. The ground beneath her was cold, but it could not even begin to compare the emptiness she felt inside her. She stiffened.

_Kagutsuchi?..._

There was no response. This brought along an equal amount of grief and joy, but she had trouble differentiating between the two and came up with a pounding headache and a nauseous flip of her stomach. Her lips parted and she let out an uneasy groan which was immediately accompanied by her immediate eyesight being invaded by black hair and flashing golden eyes.

"Mai!"

Mai blinked and looked up in her mild daze to see Mikoto looking down at her with a relieved expression on her face. Beyond her stood two older individuals but she recognized the confident stance of Fujino Shigeru despite his tattered clothes and soot-covered face. He looked like a grizzled boxer facing down his last opponent with that tired look in his eyes and the firm set of his lips into a contemplative frown. He spoke in hushed, clipped tones to the woman next to him who was also carrying herself quite well despite the worn out clothes and slightly disheveled hair. Mikoto snuggled against Mai and she absently patted the younger girl on the head before her brain finished piecing together what had happened. Another nauseous flip of her stomach invaded her and she brought a shaking hand to her lips.

"... Natsuki..."

She stood up and nearly knocked Mikoto away from her as she swayed and attempted to look around at the same time.

"Natsuki!"

_Oh no... No no no no no..._

Shigeru turned along with the unfamiliar woman. Mai froze as she saw those silver eyes center onto her own. But it was Shigeru who spoke first, in gruff tones that sounded slightly out of place from his usually calm manners.

"We don't know where they are right now."

He paused and clasped his hands together briefly. His eyes spoke of intense agony, crippling worry over that uncertain thought, but he managed to stand still without fidgeting. The woman beside him carried a rather neutral expression on her face but something odd flickered in those eyes of hers that Mai could not quite distinguish.

"No one knows what's going on, really," he continued in that gravelly tone. "It's been a good hour, hour and a half, since we managed to get out of there. I don't even want to know what that translates into."

"Time is relative," the woman noted smoothly. "It's only the ends that count at this point."

He looked at her with an unreadable expression on his face and suddenly it clicked in Mai's head just who this person was. Memories of black hellfire and acid crowded her mind and she shook her head briefly to rid herself of the crippling sensations.

"Is this the end?" she asked hesitantly as she faced the woman.

"... It's too early to tell. Only two remain, now."

The sky lit up in shades of green and blue—a portal of some sort was opening above them. Out dropped a body dressed in a familiar black suit. An obsidian claymore lazily flipped in the air before burying itself into the asphalt blade-first. Reito wheezed and clawed at his chest as blood spurted out from a fresh cut, causing a round of surprised noises to come from the assembled group.

"Aniue!!"

Mikoto ran towards her brother with Shigeru and Kyoko in tow. Shigeru hurriedly ripped through the younger man's shirt to take a better look at the cut while Kyoko fished in her bag for a cell phone. With a disgusted growl she flung away the broken device and watched as Shigeru quickly assessed the wound.

"It's deep but it doesn't look like he was gutted through any vitals," Shigeru announced. He rocked himself back onto his heels and scratched his chin. "None of our phones are working because of this interference..."

He looked over at Mikoto.

"Mikoto, listen to me." When the younger girl calmed down enough to nod he continued. "Follow this street down to the end and turn left. There should be a clinic down that road but if it isn't open the hospital is only several blocks down. Run as quickly as you can and if there is no one there, bring me the biggest first aid box you can find, do you understand?"

Mikoto nodded and shifted to her feet, taking a moment to set her fingertips on the ground. She took off as if she had launched herself from a starting block, and soon all they could see of her was the cloud of dust her feet kicked up from the street rubble. Mai watched her race off and she limped over to the two kneeling over Reito. Seeing him struggle caused another fresh wave of panic to invade her system and she fell back as unresponsive legs lost their strength once more. Kyoko threw her a decidedly venomous look in response.

"Try to pull yourself together, girl," she snapped at Mai. "Panicking isn't going to make him heal any faster or make us feel any better."

"Kyoko," Shigeru said in a warning tone. He turned and faced Mai, training his voice to stay calm despite the situation. "It isn't as bad as it looks, but he'll need medical attention quickly. I'm going to try and stem the blood flow as much as I can, but I need your help."

Help, it turned out, was Mai's jacket. She numbly took off the item and handed it over to Shigeru who turned it inside out to reveal the liner. The absorbent layer took to the blood quickly and the pressure seemed to alleviate Reito's initial panic at the sudden injury. His breathing eased slightly, which to Shigeru could mean either relaxation or one step closer to a more permanent form of relaxation. He bit his lip slightly and tried to clear his head of that negative thought, only to hear the faint groaning of the man he was tending to.

"Don't talk," Shigeru warned, but Reito was already shaking his head at that command.

"No... It's too late anyway..."

Now Kyoko was staring down at him.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "There is only one left. By all rights it should be over."

Again Reito shook his head.

"One... returned..." He paused for a moment and clenched his jaw once. "There is no... winner."

The implications of that statement were lost to all but Kyoko, who in turn parted her lips in mild shock.

"There will be... no winner."

Reito would say no more but Kyoko had already gathered the implications of the message. She turned away even as Mai and Shigeru hovered around the injured man. She turned and looked back towards the ruined club with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Would you really do that, Shizuru?" she asked softly.

_Even after all this time, and all this hardship, would you really turn your blade on your loved one?_

_Just to save all of us?_

Kyoko sighed to herself.

"It was our mistakes they are fighting through, and they will pay for it dearly."

Shigeru looked up at that spoken statement, his maple-red eyes glimmering in the darkness. He looked into his sister's eyes and wondered for the first time if that was really guilt he was seeing. No, that couldn't be right. His sister was incapable of guilt. He raised an eyebrow but the second he blinked, the strange emotion that had invaded his sister's eyes had gone away in favor of that familiar expressionless look. The ground beneath them rumbled—they had grown painfully accustomed to it by now. Shigeru looked back down at Reito for another moment before shaking his head. Why was he so concerned? For all he knew the world could be ending within the next hour or so, and whatever medical intervention on Reito would have been wasted. But what else was there to do in the face of their own Armageddon? Despite these thoughts there was no frustration in the former boxer's thoughts. Instead he craned his neck over and looked up at the uneasy skies with a tired look in his eye.

There was an awful feeling that was beginning to build in the back of his mind. It brought an unpleasant taste to his mouth and for a second he wondered if shaking his head would dispel it. It was wishful thinking and he knew it. These feelings of trepidation were not foreign to him. He may have lacked the strange otherworldly power that his sister, his wife, and now his daughter possessed, but that did not spare him completely from the strange sensations that trickled into his mind. He heard whispers of thoughts that the wind carried to him, distant murmurings of happenings that occurred beyond his comprehension. Tonight, however, these whispers carried with them a constant message that even he was starting to unravel on his own. It was a slow, meticulous process and the message was only half-complete, but he could guess at the contents at this point. He inhaled deeply and picked up the scent of blood.

He was now ready to throw the towel in.

* * *

The landscape was changing right before their eyes. This was the hall of the victorious, now. The floors were of a pristine silver glow that was soon marred by the blood dripping from Shizuru's bare legs and feet. The battle-worn couple merely looked around at the blinding white light all around them, finally focusing on what looked to be a throne at the end of the expansive hallway. They walked down the hall and stopped near the throne. It was an impressive work of art done in what looked to be a pure block of white silver. In Natsuki's opinion it looked incredibly uncomfortable to sit on even with the plush furs blanketing the seat. What interested the two more, however, was the person sitting at the throne. Shizuru's eyes widened as she recognized the pale crystal-like eyes and serious face that could not have belonged to a girl as young as her.

"... Mashiro?"

The girl nodded faintly in response but her lips remained pursed. They heard eerie chuckles echo across the hall but the source was easily placed when another familiar individual stepped out from behind the throne. Natsuki narrowed her eyes and glared at those amused pink eyes of Shizuru's other cousin Nagi.

"What are the two of you doing here?" Natsuki asked.

"What indeed!" Nagi replied with a grin. "This is our humble home, dear wolf. Although, I do tend to prefer the nicer comforts of Earth than this austere realm. Isn't that right, Mashiro?"

Again there was no verbal response from the girl. She was normally soft-spoken but this silence seemed rather strange to Shizuru who in turn locked eyes with Nagi. Nagi shrugged in response.

"She's been like this since the Obsidian Lord emerged," he explained. He patted the girl's hand softly. "They've had a bit of a... history, if you could call it that. For a second there we didn't think you'd make it, but then again our little Natsuki plays the maverick role very nicely."

"We didn't come here to mince words," Natsuki snarled. "We did what we were asked, why aren't we returning back?"

"It's not that easy," Nagi admonished with a wave of his hand. "I'll admit this is the first time we've encountered this sort of... situation."

"Situation?" Shizuru asked.

Nagi shot her a sudden look as if asking her why she was even asking that question. Then his gaze traveled over to Natsuki and it dawned on him. His eyes narrowed in amusement and his lips curled back into a deliciously cruel grin that only served to make Natsuki even more annoyed. Mashiro merely stared on with an unreadable expression as Nagi's chuckles echoed across the otherwise empty hall.

"What the hell are you laughing about," Natsuki growled.

The chuckles died slowly as Nagi regained his composure. He casually leaned one elbow against the throne and began to stroke the long tresses of his unmoving cousin. After a moment of idle petting he let go of the silken locks of hair and instead hopped up to the throne's arm. He perched on the edge and idly swung his legs as he watched Natsuki. Each hit of his heels against the throne produced a loud bag that echoed in the unnerving silence. He stopped his swinging and propped his elbows on his knees, shifting his gaze towards Shizuru.

"This is what we like to call the throne of Odin," Nagi explained in a sing-song tone. "We like to think that the Norse god would have sat here with his ravens and wolves, viewing the world with that sense of dread that would only come from knowing the future of the world he was watching. You know of that story, don't you? Of Ragnarok, of the end of the world as an epic battle costing the lives of many. We would like to think of it as this, but the gods only survive in the hearts of their believers, and sadly enough many religions have been extinguished in the sands of time. But this throne, curiously enough, remains."

"What are you getting at?" Natsuki asked, this time in a more curious tone.

"Only the victorious may sit upon this throne," Mashiro said finally. "The Watcher will stand guard until the next Carnival."

Shizuru and Natsuki exchanged an uneasy look until Nagi exploded into a fit of clapping.

"Congratulations! You've made it this far down that slippery slope without losing your footing. In exchange we give you this lovely throne and the opportunity to rule over this world as you see fit!"

The clapping died after a while and he raised an eyebrow. His lips puckered in a sort of frown that one would commonly get from eating a particularly sour lemon. He raised a finger and cleared his throat.

"Of course, there is but one problem."

He hopped off of the throne and took three steps forward. The frown had now eased into a more contemplative curve of the lips as he brought up two fingers of his other hand to join the one he already had out on display.

"There are two of you, and only one throne. Surely now you see the dilemma the two of you have brought onto yourselves."

He retracted his fingers and calmly folded his hands behind his back. So far, so good. Neither of them fidgeted enough to be considered outwardly nervous. The pieces that were already in place for Shizuru were not beginning to click together for Natsuki, and just as he suspected she did not take this development well at all.

"No."

Natsuki turned on her heel and began to storm away. Nagi warily turned his gaze over towards Shizuru. When she did nothing to stop the wolf Nagi rolled his eyes and trotted over towards Natsuki.

"You realize that if you walk away, you'll be damning everyone in that precious hunk of rock you call Earth," Nagi announced, no longer in his sing-song mood.

This stopped Natsuki cold. She turned again and locked eyes with Shizuru.

"I know that," she muttered.

"Then you know what you have to do. What the two of you have to do." Nagi licked his lips. "There isn't that much time left. Even you've felt that."

"I know," she repeated, indicating that the conversation was now over.

Surprisingly Nagi let it go and made his way back to the throne, taking his spot next to Mashiro. He turned and regarded the two before sighing.

"Fine. You'll have ten minutes before you must make a decision." His eyes narrowed. "The _two_ of you must make a decision."

Natsuki rubbed her forehead while spotting an alcove in this strange silver palace. Shizuru followed her wordlessly as they exited the main hall and found themselves overlooking a strange mess of swirling clouds. The palace floated above this landscape, affording it an excellent position for looking over what seemed to be multiple worlds. Natsuki took off her gloves for the first time and pocketed them. Her bare hands pressed against the silver railing, joined moments later by another pair of hands. One of them hesitantly pressed against her hand and she responded by turning it over so that their palms touched. For one long minute they simply held hands in the overwhelming silence.

"No... I suppose we weren't supposed to have the easy way out, were we?"

Natsuki looked up as Shizuru spoke.

"I guess not." She paused. "Did you know about this?"

"I had my suspicions," Shizuru admitted. "Our family... is uncomfortably involved. It was only a matter of time before something of this caliber was revealed, even if I did not want to believe it."

Natsuki offered a grim smile that Shizuru mirrored in response.

"It doesn't matter," Natsuki announced. "It could've gone any number of ways. I'm pretty sure we would've arrived at the same conclusion."

"Oh?" Shizuru raised an eyebrow. "Were you that confident?"

"Of course!" Natsuki almost looked offended. "We would have pulled through no matter what, despite whatever obstacle was in our way!"

Shizuru had the sense to giggle at the confidence Natsuki exuded through that one statement.

_No matter what._

Her eyes dimmed, however.

_No matter what... it would have come to this._

Natsuki seemed to be thinking along the same lines as her fingers twitched against Shizuru's palm.

"This was easier when I thought Kagutsuchi had killed you," Shizuru said in halting tones. "I was blinded by that rage, and as a result I fulfilled my part of this dirty Carnival."

Natsuki nodded.

"Well, I'm not that clean either," Natsuki muttered with a shrug.

Another minute was passed in relative silence.

"Natsuki?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think there's a place out there where we would be able to live in peace?"

There was a small sigh even as their hands were laced together in a comforting hold.

"You know, I think we invite a little too much excitement for that."

"I know."

An idea was beginning to form in both of their heads. It wasn't very enticing and even a bit crazy, but there was really no other option. Their ten minutes was beginning to grow short, and as they looked into each other's eyes they knew that there was no backing down. Natsuki pushed herself away from the railing and turned to face Shizuru. They stared at each other for a few seconds as if to commit this meeting to memory.

"Well, here we go," Natsuki declared.

"I love you, my Natsuki," Shizuru said, causing Natsuki to pause.

Her lips twitched into a small smile.

"Love you too."

She grabbed Shizuru to pull her in for a rough kiss.

_This world of ours... was beautiful once._

Shizuru quietly brought her arms up. The crimson blade of the naginata glistened in the light as Natsuki wrapped her arms around Shizuru and held on tightly.

_But who's to say that it still can't be beautiful?_

Natsuki could taste the salt of Shizuru's tears but her mind grew curiously blank as she felt something shove into her back. She tried not to cry out even as her body began to react to the extreme pain.

_It won't be the same. _

Her vision was beginning to grow dark. She saw a ghost of a smile grace Shizuru's lips along with a thin line of red that dribbled from the corner of her lips down to her chin.

_But that's never a bad thing._

Someone fell—who was it? It didn't matter. Nothing much mattered now.

_After all... I have you._

_My world is beautiful now._

* * *

The silver throne was crumbling. Mashiro felt the tremors beneath her clasped hands and she looked up to see Nagi walking towards her with a calm expression on his face.

"It's over," he said, and she felt herself releasing a breath she wasn't aware she was holding in.

* * *

AN: Here we are. One more to go.


	23. Epilogue: Monday Morning Drive

Mai Hime and related belong to Sunrise

* * *

**Epilogue: Monday Morning Drive**

_Six months later_

Fuuka was baking in the intense summer heat. The streets were packed with students enjoying their summer vacation. As a result the convenience store that sat at the corner of a normally light intersection saw a constant flow of young adults streaming in and out with their pockets considerably lighter after each trip.

"Hey, I got your tea."

A figure dressed in a lavender sun dress looked up as a green can was pressed towards her outstretched hand. The can found its mark when directed by a sure and steady hand that lacked the uncertainty it had grown used to in the past. She noted this with an appreciative smile that was mirrored in simple acknowledgment. She accepted the drink and shook the can slightly before pulling the tab up. After a few sips she set the can down beside her and tucked her hands under her knees to keep her dress from slipping up her legs. It was almost too hot and incredibly humid—her hair was beginning to stick to her forehead and the back of her neck. It felt somewhat annoying but her thoughts were put on hold as she saw a flurry of movement beside her.

"Oh? Did you finally find an ice cream you like?" she asked with a soft laugh. "I was beginning to think I'd have to drag you away from the freezer by how much time you spent in there."

There was a quiet snort beside her but she merely grinned in response. Pearly white teeth flickered from beneath parted lips as they clenched onto the end of an ice cream stick. The blue and white soda-flavored treat disappeared quickly enough, leaving only the wooden stick that then bobbed up and down. She watched this movement for a second before returning to her can of tea.

"Well, it's not too bad."

The words were curt but the voice behind them was calm, smooth.

"Actually, it's a little sweet."

"That's something I thought I wouldn't hear from you."

Another snort.

"Well, it's not like we had much of anything to compare this to for a while now. By the way, how's that tea?"

She paused and tipped the can slightly.

"... A little bitter, I'll admit."

Those lips turned up to a knowing grin.

"See? Everything's accentuated. I'm afraid it's going to be like this for a little while, until we get used to it again."

There was a brief silence between the two of them. She turned her head and took a brief note of her partner's clothing—a white t-shirt and a pair of khaki-colored cargo capris that were tied off below the knee. A navy visor hung around her neck with the letters "F" and "G" embroidered on with white thread. When her partner finally brushed off some of the dirt from her sneakers she stood up and neatly swiped her hands over some of the wrinkles of her sun dress. They walked down the worn stone steps of Fuuka's lone shrine, weaving past chattering couples and stepping out into the sun's full glare. The bike was parked out by several scooters. It was a brand new model, faithful to the classic styling of past Ducatis but painted in a navy coat that positively shimmered against the baking asphalt beneath it. During the short shuffle for helmets and a brief pat-down of pockets for the keys, she turned and looked into the eyes of her partner.

"Are you ready?"

Emerald eyes held her gaze steadily before an easy smile broke through those pensive lips that she had always loved.

"... Yeah. I'm ready."

* * *

"Three orders of omelets, coming up!"

Mai turned and accepted the plates as they seemingly popped into existence onto the counter. She nodded at her hired cook and balanced the plates on her tray before marching down the hall and towards a booth situated near the corner of her rebuilt cafe. She set the plates down and tucked the tray back onto the bar before sliding into the booth.

"Alright, let's eat! I'm carved!"

"Starved, Haruka-chan," Yukino corrected, but she took up her fork and began to cut out small bites of the omelet.

Haruka shook her head and began to shovel in the meal as Mai watched in amusement.

"So... What brings the two of you here this morning?" Mai asked as a waitress stopped by their booth to give them several glasses of juice.

"Hm! Well you'll be pleased to know, Tokiha, that Kanzaki is returning soon from his business trip in Shanghai!"

Mai tried not to appear too excited, but little escaped Haruka's critical eye. The blonde shoveled in more omelet before taking a swig of juice. Upon setting the cup down her lips curled into a tiny frown and she folded her hands together.

"He's a good man, Mai," Haruka announced in a matter-of-fact tone.

Mai wasn't sure what to say to that abrupt statement but Yukino cracked a smile.

"That's just her way of showing her approval," Yukino explained quietly.

Mai nodded faintly in response. Haruka returned to her omelet and finished it off a few forkfuls later. She dabbed her lips with the napkin provided and finished off her juice. She waited patiently for Yukino to finish but when she did the older girl made no immediate move to leave. Even Yukino was a little surprised at the lack of initiative her friend was displaying, but it became clear just why Haruka was hesitating.

"I don't really know what happened that day," Haruka began slowly. She brought up a hand. "No, I know what you've told me, Tokiha, and I'm not saying I found a flaw in that information. Just... It's been about half a year now. I think it's safe to talk about it."

Just like that it seemed Mai's breath left her lungs in one lengthy sigh. She rested her chin on her palm and stared at the half-finished glass of juice in front of her.

"I... I miss them," Yukino admitted softly.

"I do too," Mai replied.

"Well, the two of you can miss them all you want!"

Yukino and Mai looked up as Haruka crossed her arms with a huff. Mai shifted her gaze to Yukino who merely pushed her glasses up and shrugged.

"She tends to get like that."

"Like what?" Haruka asked. "Like this? It's only because I don't understand why the two of you are being all bloomy over it."

"... Gloomy, Haruka-chan."

"That's what I said!" Haruka shook her head. "Listen. The two of you can grope with each other all you want over this fiasco. I refuse to believe in it."

Mai fought the urge to laugh at Haruka's vocabulary error even as Yukino's cheeks began to glow red.

"Mope, Haruka-chan!" Yukino admonished in a squeak.

Haruka brushed it off and began to talk about something else with her best friend. In Mai's mind the words were slowly turning to molasses until a certain thought occurred to her. She turned and faced Haruka, who by now was deep into a sort of rare bickering contest with Yukino of all people.

"Wait. What do you mean you refuse to believe in it?"

Haruka looked up as she heard Mai's question. She considered it for all of two seconds before shaking her head and expelling a patient sigh.

"What's there to believe? It's all relative to how you look at the information."

At Mai's confused expression Haruka continued with all the conviction of a seasoned detective explaining his findings to a skeptical audience.

"Really, Tokiha. The information you gave us was probably correct in light of strange nature of your story. But if those fantastic things happened the way they really did, then what's stopping the two of them from making it out of there alright?"

Mai and Yukino offered no rebuttal and Haruka grinned in triumph.

"With all this talk of legends and myths I suppose the two of you forgot that legends never really die, now did you?"

Haruka stood up and stretched. Yukino hurriedly skipped out of the booth as Haruka marched her way to the exit. Before she opened the door, however, she turned and gave Mai a meaningful look. Then the door's bell jangled and the door slammed shut as the two walked out into the midsummer sun. Mai watched them go with a small frown before she turned and stacked the dishes. Just as she was picking them up, however, she heard the distant rumble of a motorcycle engine. Mai looked up and gasped. It was merely a fleeting look, five seconds down the street as she stared through the recently-washed windows. Maybe it was the heat licking up waves of hot air from the asphalt, she wasn't sure. But the sound was clear enough to her ears and she squinted into the late-morning sunlight that streamed through her windows.

A blue—or was it black, no, it had to be blue—motorcycle raced past. Time slowed to a stop as Mai watched it and a memory began to play in the back of her mind.

"_... Aren't you a bit young to be racing around in a motorcycle?"_

_Emerald eyes flashed in annoyance at her question._

"_You shouldn't be concerned with what isn't your business," she snapped._

_The emerald-eyed beauty turned around, flicking midnight blue tresses over her shoulder before flinging her schoolbag over her shoulder. It wasn't a favorable first meeting, but it would forever leave a mark on her days at Fuuka. _

Just as soon as the motorcycle turned the corner Mai seemingly snapped out of whatever lull she had worked herself into. Memories of the past trickled down behind her eyelids as she closed her eyes. It was just wishful thinking, wasn't it? She reclaimed her dirty dishes and deposited them back in the kitchen. She paused for a moment and rested her chin on her hand, watching the customers mill in and out of her rebuilt establishment.

_I wonder what you're doing. _

She clapped her cheeks and turned around, busying herself with cleaning the counter top.

_I wonder... if the world is beautiful for you, too._

* * *

Her hands stretched out as the motorcycle slowed to a meandering crawl down the mountainside roads. Her partner turned slightly, and even though her face was behind a pitch-black windshield she could clearly imagine the smile on the cyclist's lips. But that was fine—she had a helmet on as well, and she knew that her own smiling lips and laughing eyes were hidden to the world.

It was a strange thing indeed, to be feeling this wind. She had felt the wind before, felt it slam into her body, felt it caress her cheeks and pull at her hair. But this was a newer take on an older feeling, and she relished the dizzying speeds that the motorcycle took them through as it dipped down and began to pick up speed. Her arms wrapped around her partner's torso at the sudden boost of speed, but they were soon joined by a hand encased by a leather glove. After a few pats the hand returned to its position on one of the handlebars, but not before flashing two fingers.

It wasn't going to be too long, now, but they decided to take the longer route today.

* * *

"Alright, listen here you morons. I asked for 50 on this job, _not_ 25. However, I was given... let's see here..."

There was a brief shuffling of papers in the semi-darkness.

"Oh, here we go... 24,586,000 with a little bit of change left over because one of you _smart asses_ decided to go to the pachinko parlor last night. Doesn't look you like got lucky either, punk."

The assembled men looked as if they were going to soil their pants when a set of claws flashed in the dim lighting of a seedy building near Fuuka's docks. The owner of said claws narrowed her jade-colored eyes in disgust as she regarded the quivering men.

"Honestly, I was told that I was hiring some of the best men to scour my information for me, but all I get out of you are a bunch of travel brochures to France."

Nao paused and sighed.

"Do I look like I want to know how many different sea food dishes are offered in the Riviera in June? Do I? Hmm?"

One of the men had the foresight to play along—he shook his head.

"You're right, I'm not terribly interested in that. If I wanted to know, I'd buy a damn plane ticket and see for myself."

She paused to take in a breath.

"What I am interested in, however, is how in the _hell_ did the Fujino family enterprise manage to get rid of all evidence pertaining to the Marguerites before we even got back to Fuuka!"

She slammed her hand on the desk, one of the many abandoned desks in the now-empty hotel that once served as the headquarters of the virtual madwoman who had caused Nao to run along on a wild goose chase for a year. Now that chase had met its end nearly half a year ago, and Nao was just another unemployed courier working for a bored information broker who had decided that another vacation was in order. So Yamada was living it up in Singapore until the end of the month, and Nao was stuck shuffling through what they had hoped would be a gold mine of information pertaining to just _what_ on earth had been going on. All this talk about Carnivals and Maidens and the end of the world had rattled Nao's brains considerably and given her plenty of sleepless nights riddled with headaches. However, the pertinent information on those topics was growingly increasingly sore to come by. And now it seemed that there wouldn't be anymore talk about the aforementioned topics—as far as the Fujino family was concerned, anyway.

No papers. No information. Nothing. Nao felt like kicking the desk over.

What was she going to get paid for now? First District was already a euphemism for a dead-end in her point of view. The trails that Nao had investigated meticulously over the past winter had now melted in lieu of an unrelated incident in one of Tokyo's premier night clubs. That too was ruled out as a weird incident where too many people and an unlucky freak accident took place, but Nao had her suspicions. She was pretty sure that was just another doctored report in the sea of fixed reports that happened to involve the name Fujino.

It was case closed, no questions. Nao shook her head with another disgusted sigh.

So now, the courier on vacation was perched on an empty desk glowering at a group of dark-suited men with identical expensive sunglasses and quivering frowns. She made an exasperated noise and quickly shooed off the men. They were in no hurry to object this order, and soon she was left alone in the completely bare office. She undid the claws on her right hand and let the metal hit the desk while she turned to look out the windows, towards those same black-suited men who were now bustling out to their expensive cars. These were the same men who had once been hired by Tomoe Marguerite to work the Fujino empire while she ran around acting like a psychopath—at least, that's what Nao thought she was doing anyway. What else did outrageously rich people do with their time?

_I wish I could ask Fujino that question. She probably would've just laughed at me._

Nao sighed and hopped over to the plush leather chair, the only other furnishing in the room. She relaxed against the cold leather for a moment before sitting up.

_What the heck was that noise?_

The window to her lonely office was already open to let in some air in the stuffy upper floors. It also brought with it the noises of construction nearby, the ungodly racket of cicadas against the tree and the strangely loud roar of what sounded like a motorcycle. Nao raised an eyebrow and turned around in the chair. Motorcycles weren't rare, especially during sunny days such as this one, but this was a familiar sound to her ears. It was the sound of a monster prowling the midday sun, a confident sort of engine that rumbled and roared as the tires tore through the streets. Only one person in her humble opinion could control let alone even want to get near that sort of raw power, and her eyebrow twitched as she saw a navy motorcycle roar past.

"... No way."

Nao jumped out of the chair and pressed her fingertips against the glass.

"No _fucking _way."

So engrossed was she with her disbelief that she failed to register the tears that had started to stream her cheeks, accompanied only by the soft twitching of her lips. Even when she finally did collapse and let herself have a good cry for the first time in months, she shook herself out of it long enough to attempt a smile. She surprised herself at how easily it came in light of her new discovery.

"Those idiots..."

* * *

They took a short break at another convenience store, this time for some water and a chance to people-watch. They were merely a couple, a beautiful couple with captivating eyes and easy smiles that sent nearly everyone swooning. They were also a little too wrapped up in themselves to even acknowledge that confounding ability to set everyone staring their way. They watched people come and go. Fast and slow. Despite the seemingly boring subject manner they remained captivated, as if they had never seen people walk before. Or perhaps they were merely revisiting something they had once seen in another lifetime? The second choice was quite fanciful, but their crimson and emerald eyes continued to watch on with a quiet fascination.

Soon afternoon turned to early evening even if the sun failed to acknowledge the time change. But they once again dusted themselves off and stood up from a lonely park bench down the road to return to the motorcycle waiting patiently for them.

"Soon," one of them said, and the other nodded.

* * *

"Right. I'm sure the merger will take place as expected. Don't worry too much, Reito-han. You're doing extremely well for your first year in this arena."

There was a brief pause as a hand grasped onto a glass tumbler. After a pause the hand set the tumbler of golden liquid back down.

"After this, consider taking some time off. I'm sure Mai-han would appreciate it."

A string of hearty chuckles echoed across the office. Shigeru soon hung up the phone and tapped his fingers against his familiar desk. He had moved his enterprise to Fuuka for the year and was enjoying a healthy boost in profits. This tiny island offered a good amount of anonymity that Kyoto could never provide, which was fine considering the circumstances. There had been no formal explanation for the strange happenings in Tokyo. The government had written it off as a freak accident of sorts. The club had apparently suffered a bombing done by some group of fanatics, and the case was closed after a few months spent on a wild goose chase shaking down various factions and even the yakuza at one point. The Fujino family had offered money and thrown their weight around enough to be written off completely in the investigative reports, and now Fujino Shigeru was living the quiet life holed up in the regional office at Fuuka.

He was alone, for the most part. Kyoko had moved back overseas, to France or Italy. Shigeru was never too sure. What mattered was the distance, and Kyoko was now far enough away again to provide little distraction. It was a mutual decision—the siblings agreed that whatever uncomfortable phase they marched through on that day was going to be put behind them for the sake of moving on. Her daughter, on the other hand, did not take that news very well. Neither did she take the news of her dear cousin's disappearance all that well. Last he heard Tomoe Marguerite was now staying at a hospital in the French Riviera. And by hospital he assumed that Kyoko was only putting a nice word to describe the mental institute he was sure his niece should have been thrown in years ago. But that was neither here nor there, and now Shigeru could close that chapter in his life.

He leaned back against his chair and sighed.

"Maybe I should take a vacation," he muttered to himself.

It was a good time to, anyway. Business was idle at the moment and he wasn't needed so much around the office anymore. His mind flicked into autopilot as he began to explore potential vacation spots, but as he began to shuffle his papers into a neat pile a small piece of paper managed to wrestle free from the stack. He picked it up and recognized it as a ticket stub for a train. The ticket had been issued in Hokkaido.

_Hokkaido..._

His fingertips traced the magnetic strip of paper as his eyes dimmed in recollection. Those were trying times, but he would have given anything to be back in them. His arms flexed as he stretched them above his head. Running from the Marguerite-hired punks and taking a few out in the process was damn fun, but it was almost a shame now that he was back in this pedestrian lifestyle of his. His lips spread open into a leer. Who was he kidding. He wasn't the least bit satisfied over what had happened in the past six months. His own flesh and blood was now missing and most likely dead along with the person she loved. It was ridiculously unfair. No parent should ever bury their child.

Just as soon as this anger entered him it left with the heavy exhalation of an exhausted breath. He shook his head. What was there for him to be angry about? His child had saved the world. It was a hollow comfort, but he soon roused himself out of his angry stupor as he gathered his jacket and shrugged it on. It was as good a time as any to call it a day.

He walked out into the blinding evening sun. For a second he squinted and threw a hand up to shield his eyes, but his ears clearly picked up the rumbling roar of a motorcycle engine.

"Huh?"

Shigeru dropped his hand. By now the riders of this motorcycle had their helmets off and packed away so that midnight blue and chestnut brown tresses blew outwards with the summer wind. He stared at them quietly, then his lips eased into a smile.

"So... you came back."

"You told us to come back," Natsuki remarked.

"Together," Shizuru added. "That was the important part, wasn't it?"

Shigeru rubbed his cheek.

"Well... I did tell you that, didn't I," he whispered, almost to himself.

He stared at the two. Despite his mind tripping over itself with the questions he had wanted to ask, namely _how_ and _why did it take this long_, he felt himself shaking his head with that small silly grin permanently on his lips.

"... Welcome home."

* * *

AN: Well. There you have it. Winter's Road... has ended.

To all who have read through this, thank you. I appreciate your attention to this fledgling work :)

Until next time!


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